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CEC protest Day 3: INDIA bloc sits at Raj Ghat as 42 ex-judges back Election Commission

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The opposition’s CEC protest entered its third day on Thursday, 8 October 2026, with Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc MPs holding a silent sit-in at Raj Ghat in Delhi. On the same day, 42 former judges released an open letter defending the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Key facts

  • Day 3 venue: Raj Ghat, Delhi
  • Leaders present: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
  • Opposition demand: resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
  • Open letter: 42 former judges backing the ECI and the SIR

No clashes at Raj Ghat

After a lunch hosted by Kharge at a Connaught Place restaurant, the leaders travelled together by bus to the Gandhi memorial, The Times of India reported. Delhi Police had imposed prohibitory orders at Raj Ghat earlier in the day, but the MPs were allowed to reach it. They sat on the lawn in silent protest and left after a short while. Unlike Tuesday and Wednesday, there was no prolonged face-off with police and no mass detention.

The opposition wants Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision. Kharge said the leaders would “pray” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to be blessed with wisdom. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Rahul Gandhi of not trusting the Supreme Court to decide the SIR appeals.

What the 42 former judges said

The signatories, including former Supreme Court judges Hemant Gupta and Pankaj Mittal and three former high court chief justices, voiced grave concern over a campaign to undermine the ECI, the judiciary and other constitutional bodies. They questioned “vote theft” allegations made without supporting evidence and warned against branding constitutional authorities as “thieves” and “compromised”, NDTV reported.

“Criticism of institutions is a democratic right. Denigration is not.”

— Open letter signed by 42 former judges

Why it matters

The CEC protest has now run for three straight days, and Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday it would continue until the CEC resigns. The judges’ letter adds a prominent voice on the side of the poll body in a dispute whose SIR appeals are also before the Supreme Court.

Source: The Times of India, The Indian Express, NDTV, The Statesman

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