CJI: No meet with Congress, it'll violate 'separation of power'

NEW DELHI: CJI Surya Kant Sunday declined requests from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi, who wanted to meet him Monday to apprise him about "vote chori" allegations amid protests in Delhi seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.In an email response, the CJI said similar issues were already pending adjudication before

Supreme Court

and a meeting on the issue raised by the netas would "contravene the iconic principles of separation of power, which is part of the basic structure of Constitution", sources in the CJI office told TOI.The response said SC was not endowed with any administrative power in this regard and only had an adjudicatory role under Constitution.

It said the party or any of its functionaries could file a petition highlighting their grievances and the court was bound to adjudicate it. The sources said the CJI stated that SC was committed to giving a priority hearing to important issues and serving citizens of the country.

The sources said the CJI wrote that if so advised, a petition could be filed by the person concerned or the party in SC before 4pm Monday, and would be given priority hearing on the judicial side along with other similar petitions.

Kharge, in a social media post Sunday, said, "We will continue our fight. Tomorrow, we are also going to meet CJI. I have written a letter, and Rahul Gandhi has also written a letter. We have scheduled a meeting between 4-5pm, during which we will apprise him of the situation... Chaos is being created in the country by home minister and PM, and everywhere an undeclared emergency is imposed."