Rahul Gandhi-Led Plea on Voter Roll Revision to Be Heard Once Defects Cured: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and ten opposition leaders on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would be listed for hearing once defects pointed out by the court's registry are cured. The plea could not be taken up on Tuesday because the registry's objections had not been addressed.

According to the Supreme Court's website, the registry flagged 14 defects. These included the absence of a clear copy of the identity card of Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, a co-petitioner in the case. The registry also pointed to certain illegible or missing pages in the petition.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant assured the petitioners that their matters would be listed once the formalities were completed. "We will list all these matters. Make sure that the defects are cured," the Chief Justice told senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who mentioned the matter on behalf of a journalist.

The Chief Justice had earlier responded to Mr. Gandhi's request for a meeting to submit a memorandum on issues concerning the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commission of India (ECI), the alleged arbitrary arrest of several students, the closure of metro stations and the cancellation of trains. He had then assured an early hearing of the plea, if filed on the judicial side.

Besides Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Kharge, the co-petitioners are Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Communist Party of India leader D. Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Mahua Majhi, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby and Indian Union Muslim League leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer.

The plea alleges large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. It seeks the constitution of an independent committee, headed by a retired judge of the apex court and assisted by technical experts and other eminent citizens, to conduct a time-bound audit of the deletions and modifications carried out during the exercise.

It also seeks a direction that no elector be deleted from the electoral rolls without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing in accordance with law, and that eligible persons in Punjab and other States going to polls be permitted to seek inclusion in the rolls until the last date allowed by law.

The petition asks for an interim direction suspending the ongoing Special Intensive Revision across States, pending consideration of the issues raised, stating that this would protect the rights of eligible electors and preserve the integrity of the electoral process.

The ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have been named as parties to the case.

The petitioners have sought a direction to the poll panel to place on record the complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections recorded by the Election Commissioners in respect of each of the "disputed decisions" relating to the SIR, along with the relevant ECINET and ERONET access logs and the complete files recording the decision of June 24, 2025, to commence the exercise across the country.

They have further sought a direction to examine whether the disputed decisions were taken in compliance with Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the law laid down by the apex court. Article 324 vests the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls in the Election Commission.

The court has not expressed any view on the merits of the petition so far. The matters are expected to come up for hearing only after the registry's defects are rectified.