Supreme Court to sit on a Sunday to hear a contempt plea over Delhi's metro and rail shutdown
The Supreme Court set a special Sunday hearing of a contempt plea over the closure of metro stations and trains on 10 October (The Hindu, Mint, Hindustan Times, Economic Times). Hindustan Times says the plea alleges violation of the Court's order of 9 October and names the home secretary and the Delhi Police chief. Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy filed a habeas corpus petition against the detention of political leaders (Live Law), a CJP member asked the Court to trace Dipke, Saurav Das and Ranka (The Hindu), and a Delhi court rejected CJP leader Ratna Singh's plea for an FIR over alleged confinement (The Hindu, LawChakra). Legal experts have questioned the mass detentions (The Hindu).
Whether a government may shut public transport and detain thousands before a protest has happened is a question of proportionality. A Court ruling would guide how future protests are policed.
If you travel in Delhi, a court direction today could change what is open tomorrow. Otherwise, there is no direct effect.
The shutdowns hurt people with no link to the protest, and a plea of contempt is a way of testing whether authorities respected the Court's earlier order.
The authorities say they acted to keep order, and a court should not second-guess security judgments made on the ground.
Watch what the bench asks of the Home Ministry and Delhi Police, and whether it sets a time limit for a reply. We have not seen the petition, so we do not describe its claims beyond what outlets report.
DailyDrop India edition No. 7 · Morning · SUN., OCT. 11, 2026