INDIA Bloc Challenges Voter Roll Revision in Supreme Court

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and ten other INDIA bloc leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court on October 12 challenging the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The plea alleges large-scale voter deletions and procedural irregularities in the ongoing exercise.

The petition claims Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar exercised the Commission's collective powers without the knowledge or concurrence of fellow Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. It relies on a September 23 Indian Express report stating the two Commissioners recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over ten months.

“The question can be answered only by examining the Commission's records.”

Petitioners have sought production of ECI files, minutes, and access logs for ECINET and ERONET databases. They also demand an independent audit of deletions by a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and booth-wise publication of removed names with reasons.

The plea requests an interim suspension of the SIR across all states pending adjudication. It argues that no voter should be deleted without notice and a hearing, and that eligible persons in poll-bound states like Punjab must be allowed to seek inclusion until the final date.

The petition names the ECI, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, and Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi as respondents. It was filed through advocate-on-record S Prasanna.