SC to hear Rahul Gandhi's plea against SIR voter deletions, alleged irregularities today

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday, October 15, a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others challenging alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The petition raises concerns over the removal of names from electoral rolls during the revision exercise and seeks judicial scrutiny of alleged procedural irregularities that the petitioners contend could affect eligible citizens' voting rights.

The hearing comes amid a widening political controversy over the SIR exercise, with Opposition parties and student organisations demanding greater transparency and accountability from the Election Commission of India.

𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗖 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

The petition, filed on October 12 by Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA bloc leaders, questions the manner in which the Election Commission exercised its powers while taking decisions concerning the SIR exercise.

The petitioners have sought production of the Commission's internal records, including files, agendas, minutes and objections recorded by Election Commissioners in relation to disputed decisions.

They have also demanded an independent audit of voter deletions and modifications, along with the publication of booth-wise details of deleted voters and reasons for their removal.

The plea seeks safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not removed without proper notice and an opportunity to be heard. It also calls for an effective mechanism to restore the names of eligible electors who may have been wrongly excluded.

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀

The petition was not taken up on Tuesday after the Supreme Court registry identified 14 procedural defects in the filing. These included missing authorisation documents, illegible pages and a shortfall in court fees.

The Chief Justice of India had indicated that the matter would be listed after the procedural deficiencies were addressed. According to the Supreme Court's website, the petition is now expected to come up for hearing on Thursday.

𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽

The legal challenge follows Monday's INDIA bloc march towards the Supreme Court, led by Gandhi and other senior Opposition leaders, over alleged electoral irregularities and demands for accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls. The BJP has rejected allegations that the exercise is designed to disenfranchise voters.

The Supreme Court's consideration of the petition will bring renewed judicial scrutiny to the procedures adopted during the electoral roll revision and the safeguards available to citizens whose names have been deleted.

The petitioners have also sought examination of whether the disputed decisions complied with the constitutional and statutory framework governing the Election Commission, making Thursday's hearing significant for the continuing controversy over electoral roll revisions.