A letter addressed to Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai by leaders of 24 Opposition parties and an Independent MP was made public on Friday, alleging that India's democracy is "in jeopardy" under the Narendra Modi government and urging the Supreme Court to intervene over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the alleged partisan functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The letter, dated June 28 and signed by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, said the leaders had taken the "unusual path" of writing directly to the Chief Justice because they believed "our democracy is in jeopardy."
The Opposition alleged that the electoral process was being manipulated and that election outcomes in multiple instances did not reflect the will of the people.
The signatories accused the Election Commission of displaying "brazen biased conduct" and providing "open, unabashed support" to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by allegedly failing to act against violations of the Model Code of Conduct by the ruling party while targeting Opposition leaders.
Questioning the Commission's independence, the leaders alleged that since 2014, almost every appointment to the ECI had been of individuals "closely associated" with the government.
Referring to the Supreme Court's judgment in Anup Baranwal v. Union of India, they argued that Parliament subsequently amended the appointment process by replacing the Chief Justice of India on the selection committee with a Union minister. They noted that the law is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court.
Describing free and fair elections as the cornerstone of democracy, the Opposition urged the apex court to take the "firm steps urgently required to restore the integrity, accountability and public faith in the electoral process."
The leaders said they had approached the judiciary because, in their view, other democratic institutions had failed to function independently.
They alleged that institutions had become "instruments of oppression" that were "carrying forward the agenda of the government" and warned that the future of India's democracy faced "grave consequences."
The signatories also expressed concern over the state of the media, claiming that the "legacy media is largely compromised," while adding that independent platforms continued to "speak truth to power."
Emphasising that the judiciary remained the institution in which citizens placed their ultimate trust, the leaders wrote, "When all else fails, people still repose their trust in the judiciary. So when the judiciary fails to respond, it indicates a complete breakdown of the Republic."
They stressed that they were not questioning the judiciary but were approaching the courts because every other democratic mechanism had failed, urging the Supreme Court to ensure that public confidence in democratic institutions is preserved.
The Congress said it had made the letter public "in the interest of transparency" and expressed hope that the Supreme Court would act to safeguard India's constitutional and democratic framework.