Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and senior election officials on a petition filed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi sought responses from the ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The bench directed that the petitions be tagged with other pending cases challenging the electoral roll revision process.
The court also issued notices to Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other Opposition leaders on a separate petition challenging their march to the Supreme Court on October 12 over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
During the hearing, lawyers referred to the Opposition leaders' march to the apex court, prompting the bench to express concern over the conduct of one of the petitioners.
“We are issuing notice... Tagging with pending cases. But we would like to ask one of the petitioners about his conduct,” the bench observed.
Emphasising the importance of judicial independence, the Chief Justice said, “Nobody can browbeat judiciary. We are not sitting in ivory towers.”
The CJI added that the court would question one of the petitioners about his conduct at the next hearing.
The INDIA bloc leaders had marched towards the Supreme Court on October 12 to protest against alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision and demand accountability from the Election Commission. The demonstration took place amid protests in Delhi seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The main petition was filed on October 12 by Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders challenging decisions taken by the ECI in connection with the SIR of electoral rolls. The petition, registered as W.P. (C) No. 001351/2026, was entered in the Supreme Court Registry on October 13 after initial procedural defects were rectified.
The petitioners include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, among others.
The plea seeks judicial scrutiny of whether the ECI's decisions were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the Election Commission and the Supreme Court's ruling in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India.
The petitioners have urged the court to ensure that no elector's name is deleted from the electoral rolls without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard. They have also sought the publication of booth-wise lists of deleted voters, along with the reasons for each deletion and relevant demographic details.
The petition raises concerns over alleged arbitrary deletions and procedural irregularities that could affect eligible voters' right to participate in elections. The Opposition leaders have sought judicial intervention to ensure that the electoral roll revision is carried out in accordance with constitutional and legal safeguards.
The Supreme Court also issued notices to the Centre and other respondents on various petitions concerning the functioning of the Election Commission, including pleas filed by leaders such as Asaduddin Owaisi.
During Thursday's proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred to the unconditional apology tendered by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in a contempt matter. Mehta submitted that offering an unconditional apology did not prevent the authorities from defending their actions and that such a submission was part of the legal procedure.
The bench, however, told Mehta that it was not taking cognisance of media reports concerning unconditional apologies tendered by authorities before the court.
The contempt proceedings relate to allegations that authorities violated the Supreme Court's direction to ensure there was no complete prohibition on Metro and train services in Delhi following the October 10 protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The apex court also agreed to examine a petition challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. The issue has renewed the debate over access to designated spaces for peaceful demonstrations in the national capital, particularly amid protests over electoral roll revisions and demands for accountability from the Election Commission.
The court's notices in the connected matters seek responses from the concerned parties. The proceedings will examine the legal issues raised in the petitions, including the alleged irregularities in the SIR process and the challenge to the Opposition leaders' march to the Supreme Court.