"Dialling Wrong Number": CJI Surya Kant Tells Petitioner Seeking Mandatory SC/ST Seat Rotation to Go Protest

NEW DELHI — In a sharp and striking observation, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant told a petitioner seeking the mandatory rotation of constituencies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in state assemblies that they were "dialling the wrong number" and suggested taking the grievance to Parliament or staging a protest.

A Supreme Court bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, dismissed the plea on Wednesday. The petition, filed by an elector from the 191-Kadipur assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district—which has reportedly remained reserved for SC candidates for nearly seven decades—argued for judicial intervention to enforce constituency rotation.

Supreme Court Rejects Plea, Directs Matter to Legislature

The apex court bench firmly drew the line on judicial overreach, stating that delimitation and seat reservation policies are strictly legislative exercises. The bench pointed out that delimitation is a one-time exercise rather than a continuous process and noted that courts cannot dictate or judicially pronounce upon electoral choices that belong to voters and lawmakers.

Addressing the counsel who claimed that nobody was listening to their representations, the CJI remarked in a lighter vein, “This is a good season of protests, naarebaazi (sloganeering). So, this is also a good ground for protest.” The bench emphasized that citizens must muster the strength to raise their voices and urge the legislature to act.

Democracy, Ideology, and Voter Choice

Elaborating on the principles of a political democracy, the bench observed that voters generally cast ballots based on political parties and ideologies rather than individual candidates or caste identities. The court noted that because voters support an ideology, the argument for mandatory seat rotation to break prolonged reservations falls flat. Furthermore, the bench highlighted that general category candidates remain entirely free to contest from unreserved seats, refusing to interfere with the existing framework.