CJI Surya Kant cancels meeting with Congress leaders, cites reasons

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has cancelled a planned meeting with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, according to sources familiar with the development. The two senior members of the INDIA opposition bloc had written to the CJI seeking an audience and were scheduled to meet him for an hour-long session between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, October 12, 2026.

The CJI's office communicated the decision to decline the meeting, with the apex court citing reasons for the cancellation. However, the specific grounds for the decision were not made immediately available to the public.

The proposed meeting between the Congress delegation and the Chief Justice comes amid ongoing political engagements between the INDIA opposition alliance and various constitutional functionaries. Such high-level meetings between political leaders and the judiciary's apex authority are relatively uncommon and typically draw significant attention.

The cancellation marks a departure from the scheduled engagement and raises questions about the nature of issues the Congress leaders had intended to raise with the Chief Justice. Neither the Congress party nor the CJI's office has issued detailed statements regarding the reasons cited for the postponement.