SC contempt plea filed over Congress Kerala X post targeting CJI Surya Kant
Synopsis
A Supreme Court lawyer has urged CJI Surya Kant to initiate criminal contempt proceedings over a now-deleted Congress Kerala X post that told the CJI to 'resign now' — while Delhi Police have filed four FIRs over the INDIA bloc's march to the apex court. The episode puts Opposition protest tactics on a potential collision course with judicial authority.
Key Takeaways
Advocate Vineet Jindal has written to CJI Surya Kant seeking suo motu criminal contempt proceedings over a now-deleted Congress Kerala X post .
The post read: 'Dear Surya Kant, If law and order is not your domain, resign now.
We will find your replacement who can handle it.' Jindal invoked Article 129 of the Constitution and Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 , and urged preservation of CCTV footage and access-control logs.
Both the SCBA and SCAORA had separately condemned calls for the CJI's resignation.
Delhi Police registered four FIRs at Tilak Marg, Mandir Marg, and Barakhamba stations over alleged violations of Section 163 of the BNSS .
The INDIA bloc's march and petition challenged the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A Supreme Court lawyer has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant urging consideration of suo motu criminal contempt proceedings over a now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post by Congress Kerala that directly addressed the CJI, and over the INDIA bloc's protest march to the apex court on Monday, 13 October 2026. The complaint adds fresh legal dimension to an already politically charged week at the country's top court.
The Complaint and Its Legal Basis
Advocate Vineet Jindal, in a complaint-cum-representation to the CJI, urged examination of whether the deleted social media post and the reported demonstration — including slogan-shouting inside the apex court premises — warranted action under law, with particular concern for the security and orderly functioning of the Supreme Court.
The Congress Kerala unit's post on X had read: 'Dear Surya Kant, If law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it.' The post has since been deleted.
Jindal cited Article 129 of the Constitution, which empowers the Supreme Court to punish for contempt of itself, and called for suo motu proceedings if the court found them warranted. He also sought examination of the post under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, to determine whether it crossed the threshold of permissible political criticism.
What Jindal Sought From the Court
Beyond the social media post, Jindal asked the court to examine the reported demonstration by INDIA bloc leaders during the filing of a petition by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition MPs. Specifically, he sought a determination of whether any restricted area was entered without authorisation, security instructions were violated, or the functioning of the court was obstructed.
The advocate urged preservation of relevant CCTV footage, access-control logs, security deployment records, and other evidence before any conclusion is drawn — underscoring the importance of a factual record before proceedings, if any, are initiated.
Bar Associations Condemn Resignation Calls
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) had separately condemned statements calling for the CJI's resignation ahead of Jindal's complaint. Both bodies cautioned that such remarks risk undermining judicial dignity and interfering with the administration of justice.
When senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia mentioned matters related to Monday's incident before the top court on Tuesday, the CJI asked, 'Is it in the mentioning list?' After Bhatia replied in the negative, the CJI said, 'Just mention tomorrow.'
INDIA Bloc March and Delhi Police FIRs
The INDIA bloc's march on Monday was held to protest alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls. A delegation of Opposition leaders subsequently filed a joint petition at the Supreme Court challenging the electoral roll revision process.
Delhi Police registered four FIRs in connection with the protest march, with cases lodged at the Tilak Marg, Mandir Marg, and Barakhamba police stations for alleged violations of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Separately, several protesters — including Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) members Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das — were detained at Jantar Mantar during a flash protest.
With the contempt complaint now before the CJI and four FIRs registered, the legal and political fallout from Monday's march is set to unfold across multiple forums in the days ahead.
Point of View
We will find your replacement' — is a qualitatively different kind of political speech: it is not criticism of a judgment but a direct, personalised demand addressed to a sitting Chief Justice of India. The bar associations were right to call it out, and the complaint raises a legitimate question about where political protest ends and interference with judicial authority begins. What is notable, however, is that the contempt route is being sought via a third-party lawyer's representation rather than the court acting on its own motion — which means the CJI retains full discretion to act or decline. The simultaneous registration of four FIRs against the INDIA bloc march signals that the government is also pursuing the protest through administrative channels, raising questions about whether the legal pressure is proportionate to the actual disruption caused.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the contempt complaint against Congress Kerala about?
Advocate Vineet Jindal has written to CJI Surya Kant urging suo motu criminal contempt proceedings over a now-deleted X post by Congress Kerala that addressed the CJI personally and called for his resignation. Jindal argued the post needed to be examined under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, to determine whether it exceeded permissible political criticism.
What did the Congress Kerala X post say?
The post read: 'Dear Surya Kant, If law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it.' It has since been deleted from X.
Why did the INDIA bloc march to the Supreme Court?
The INDIA bloc's march on Monday was held to protest alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of voter rolls. A delegation led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi subsequently filed a joint petition at the Supreme Court challenging the electoral roll revision process.
What action has Delhi Police taken over the protest march?
Delhi Police registered four FIRs at the Tilak Marg, Mandir Marg, and Barakhamba police stations, citing alleged violations of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Several protesters, including Cockroach Janata Party members, were also detained at Jantar Mantar during a separate flash protest.
What is the Supreme Court's position on the matter so far?
The court has not yet acted on the contempt complaint. When senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia sought to mention related matters before the court on Tuesday, CJI Surya Kant asked whether it was on the mentioning list and, on being told it was not, directed him to raise it the following day. No proceedings have been initiated as of 13 October 2026.
