Supreme Court Directs Election Commission to Respond to Petition on Electoral Roll Deletions

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to a petition from opposition leaders alleging large-scale voter deletions and procedural irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The legal challenge, registered as W.P.(C) No. 001351/2026, was initially filed on October 12 by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc figures, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. The Supreme Court Registry processed the filing on October 13 following the clearance of initial procedural defects.

The petition asks the judiciary to examine whether the ECI’s actions comply with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the poll panel, and the landmark ruling in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India. Specifically, the plaintiffs seek an injunction to ensure no voter is removed without prior notice and a fair hearing, alongside the public release of booth-wise lists containing demographic details and reasons for any deletions.

Alongside the primary SIR challenge, the bench issued notices on a separate plea targeting Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and other petitioners over their recent protest march toward the Supreme Court. Addressing the conduct of the petitioners during the hearing, the bench remarked that nobody could browbeat the judiciary and added that it was not sitting in ivory towers. The court stated it would question one of the petitioners about their conduct at the next hearing.

The apex court also tagged the main matter with pending cases and issued notices to the Centre and other respondents on related petitions filed by leaders such as Asaduddin Owaisi.

During the session, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought up an unconditional apology submitted by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in a separate contempt matter, arguing that tendering an apology did not preclude the defense of official actions. The bench clarified that it was not taking cognisance of media reports regarding authorities offering unconditional apologies before the court.

The contempt proceedings stem from allegations that authorities violated Supreme Court directives prohibiting the complete suspension of Delhi metro and train services during an October 10 demonstration organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The capital has witnessed multiple protests demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the disputed electoral roll revisions.

In addition to the electoral petitions, the court agreed to review a separate challenge against the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as an authorized protest venue.