NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc, led by Rahul Gandhi, has moved the Supreme Court challenging alleged irregularities in the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, escalating its confrontation with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the removal of names from voter lists.
The petition, filed on October 12 by opposition leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, seeks scrutiny of the procedures followed during the revision exercise. The opposition has questioned whether voter deletions were carried out lawfully and whether the Election Commission followed the prescribed decision-making process.
According to reports, the petition seeks access to internal Election Commission records, an independent audit of voter deletions, safeguards against wrongful removal and an interim suspension of the revision process across states.
Why is the voter-list revision controversial?
The SIR exercise, which began in Bihar in June 2025 before expanding to other states and Union Territories, has become a major political flashpoint.
More than 13 crore names have reportedly been removed from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories. The Election Commission’s stated rationale for revising electoral rolls includes identifying deceased voters, people who have shifted residence and individuals whose whereabouts could not be verified.
However, opposition parties allege that the scale and procedures of the deletions risk disenfranchising eligible voters. They have also raised concerns about the transparency of the exercise and the safeguards available to people whose names have been removed.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision is intended to improve the accuracy of voter lists and has denied allegations of political bias. The dispute centres on whether the process adequately protects eligible voters while removing duplicate, outdated or otherwise ineligible entries.
Rahul Gandhi has vowed to continue his protest until resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Rahul Gandhi led a march against Gyanesh Kumar.
Petition raises questions about Election Commission decisions
The opposition’s legal challenge reportedly questions whether Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar exercised certain powers without the knowledge or concurrence of the other two Election Commissioners.
The petition seeks scrutiny of relevant records and procedures, including the handling of voter registration and deletion decisions. These are allegations raised by the petitioners and will require judicial examination; filing the plea does not establish that the alleged irregularities occurred.
The move comes amid wider criticism of the SIR process and reports that other Election Commissioners had raised concerns internally about aspects of the revision.
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Supreme Court hearing expected to be crucial
The petition is expected to bring the legality and implementation of the revision process under renewed judicial scrutiny. The opposition is seeking safeguards against deletion without adequate notice or an opportunity for affected voters to contest the decision.
The proceedings could clarify the standards that election authorities must follow when updating electoral rolls, particularly when large numbers of names are removed.
The Supreme Court’s consideration of the new petition should be distinguished from its earlier proceedings concerning the SIR exercise: the latest challenge raises questions about implementation, records and specific decisions rather than simply treating the entire process as already invalidated.
Political tensions intensify
The legal challenge follows protests in Delhi demanding accountability from the Election Commission. Opposition parties have called for greater transparency and for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign, while the BJP has accused its political opponents of undermining constitutional institutions.
The controversy has also prompted debate over the balance between maintaining accurate voter lists and ensuring that eligible citizens are not excluded from the democratic process.
Rahul Gandhi has vowed to continue his protest until resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Rahul Gandhi led a march against Gyanesh Kumar.
The next significant development will be the Supreme Court’s response to the petition and any directions it issues on access to records, verification procedures and safeguards for affected voters.
