New Delhi, October 12: The Supreme Court is likely to hear a petition filed on behalf of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders on Tuesday, October 13, challenging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petition questions the alleged large-scale deletion of voters’ names and seeks judicial intervention regarding the functioning of the Election Commission of India.
The development followed a march by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Opposition leaders towards the Supreme Court on Monday. Thousands of supporters and activists joined the demonstration, which was organised to raise concerns about electoral transparency and the independence of the poll panel.
Initially, the leaders had planned to submit a memorandum to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. However, after the Chief Justice reportedly declined to meet them and advised them to approach the court through the appropriate legal process, the Opposition decided to file a formal petition.
As Rahul Gandhi could not reach the Supreme Court before the 4:30 pm deadline, lawyer S Prasanna filed the petition on his behalf.
Rahul Gandhi has been named the lead petitioner, alongside 10 other Opposition leaders. They include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Raut, MA Baby, D Raja, Mahua Majhi, Supriya Sule and ET Mohammed Basheer.
According to the report, the Supreme Court registry was directed to process the petition and rectify any procedural defects so that the matter could be listed for hearing on Tuesday.
The controversy surrounding the SIR exercise intensified following a newspaper report alleging that certain Election Commission decisions had been taken without informing the other two Election Commissioners. The Opposition has demanded greater transparency in the process.
Speaking before the march, Rahul Gandhi also called on Gyanesh Kumar to resign and cooperate with the investigation into the allegations.
The Election Commission's actions and the legality of the disputed voter-list revisions are now at the centre of a growing political and legal confrontation. The Supreme Court's response to the petition is expected to be closely watched by political parties and election observers.
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