The Kerala unit of the Indian National Congress published a post on social media calling for Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to resign. The post claimed that the CJI had overstepped his jurisdiction after he remarked that questions about how the opposition functions belong to the realm of law and order.
The post drew immediate criticism from lawyers and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Facing the backlash, the Congress party deleted the message and issued a clarification saying the action had not been authorised by the party leadership. It said the employee who made the post had been suspended.
‘Dear Surya Kant ... ’: Congress Keralam unit’s post asking CJI to 'resign' draws BJP fire https://t.co/FWbNjwvpN6
On 12 October 2026, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned the incident, alleging that the Congress party’s next target is the judiciary and that it seeks to destroy India’s constitutional and democratic institutions.
” Kiren Rijiju repeated his warning, stating: “I had said it earlier, next target of the Congress Party is Judiciary.
The following day, 13 October 2026, Chief Justice Surya Kant turned down a request from opposition leaders to meet and discuss constitutional principles, a move that had already been noted as part of the surrounding context.
VIDEO | Hingoli: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on the Congress Keralam social media post and the INDIA bloc's protest march to the Supreme Court says, "I would not like to comment on that right now because both the CJI and the Supreme Court have recently said that law and order is not the responsibility of the court. What action have they taken against the Election Commission? They have taken no action at all. We saw what happened in Bengal after votes were deleted. What did they say? They said it was fine if people could not vote now; they could vote later. Will the Supreme Court tell Narendra Modi the same thing, that he should not contest the election this time and can contest the next time? If they cannot say that, then on what basis are they telling voters this? I extend my best wishes to the INDIA bloc for yesterday's protest in Delhi. It was a very large and important protest. It is necessary for the entire country to unite and hold such protests, especially the INDIA bloc, as it is in the Opposition. Such protests will continue across the country until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. We hope that this happens." (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTeOLF)
The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s message read: “Dear Surya Kant, if you say law and order is not within your jurisdiction, resign now. We will look for someone else who can handle it.”
Kiren Rijiju repeated his warning, stating: “I had said it earlier, next target of the Congress Party is Judiciary. Congress wants to destroy all the constitutional and democratic institutions of India.”
#BREAKING | Keralam Congress post on CJI triggers row, BJP slams remark NDTV's @aishvaryjain joins @samikshaa3 with more details https://t.co/9TUyBkzLSu
Amid the controversy, a separate note surfaced: Rahul Gandhi’s pending Supreme Court petition still has 220 rupees left to pay in filing fees.
