On a Sunday, the Supreme Court of India has convened a special sitting to hear a contempt petition. The petition was filed by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi and names the Delhi Police and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation among the respondents. The core allegation is that these authorities willfully disregarded an earlier judicial directive. The bench assigned to the matter consists of Justices Joy Malo Bagchi and V. Mohan, who will examine whether the officials acted in contempt of the court’s instructions.
The directive at the heart of the dispute was issued on October 1, 2026. In that order, the Supreme Court instructed the central government to ensure that public transport services, including the Metro and rail networks, remained operational with only controlled restrictions to maintain law and order during the ongoing protests.
Supreme Court to hear contempt plea over Delhi Metro closures on Sunday #DelhiProtests #CJP https://t.co/TYJkGFz05Z
Despite the directive, reports indicate that the authorities took a different course. According to the petition, the Delhi Police proceeded to shut down 57 metro stations across the network. In addition to the station closures, train services were cancelled, leaving commuters without the expected transit options. The petition contends that these actions were not the controlled restrictions envisaged by the court but a deliberate shutdown that caused significant inconvenience to the public.
Their review will focus on whether the authorities had knowledge of the October 1 order and whether they chose to ignore it.
Justices Joy Malo Bagchi and V. Mohan now face the task of determining whether the conduct described in the petition amounts to contempt. Their review will focus on whether the authorities had knowledge of the October 1 order and whether they chose to ignore it. The bench will consider the evidence presented, including the number of stations closed and the cancellation of trains, to decide if a willful violation occurred. The bench will consider whether the authorities willfully disregarded the judicial instructions.
The Supreme Court will hold a special sitting tomorrow (Sunday to hear the contempt petition which has been filed alleging that authorities continued to shut down Delhi metro stations and cancelled train services in violation of the Court's October 9 order.. Read more: https://t.co/4GtgHV7Fbd #SupremeCour #Delhimetro #protests #CJP #ElectionCommissioner #CJPProtest
The special Sunday sitting is set to examine the contempt petition. The case involves the enforcement of the court's directive to keep transit open during protests. The proceedings will focus on the evidence regarding the Metro shutdown and the original directive to keep transit open.