New Delhi, Oct 12: Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties’ leaders have moved the Supreme Court challenging alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as Rahul Gandhi led INDIA bloc leaders in a march towards the apex court on Monday, demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The petition has been registered on the Supreme Court’s website.
The legal move came as Opposition leaders gathered in the national capital under the banner “Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy”, accusing the Election Commission of undermining electoral fairness and demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over allegations of “vote theft”.
In addition to Rahul Gandhi, the other leaders who registered the petition are: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (Pawar) (NCP-SCP) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut, Congress Party of India’s (CPI) D Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Majhi, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML leader) E T Mohammed Basheer.
The developments came amid heightened security in Delhi, restrictions on public movement, and a continuing protests and controversy over police action against protesters during demonstrations over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission.
The CJI clarified that the Supreme Court could not issue directions on such matters through its administrative side.
The leaders were free to approach the court through its judicial process, and their petition could be considered alongside the cases already listed for hearing.
INDIA bloc takes protest to Supreme Court
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kharge and several INDIA bloc leaders joined the march towards the Supreme Court on Monday.
Leaders from other Opposition parties, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, also participated in the mobilisation.
The Congress called the demonstration ‘Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy’, seeking judicial intervention over alleged electoral irregularities and demanding Kumar’s resignation.
The march was accompanied by a heavy deployment of police personnel and barricades around key roads leading towards the Supreme Court.
The gathering included Opposition MPs, party workers, students and activists.
The march was allowed to cross several barricades, however stopped at barricaded sections near the Supreme Court, Bhagwan Das Road, as security arrangements restricted the movement of demonstrators towards the court. However, some dozen leaders including Rahul Gandhi were permitted to enter the Supreme Court premises, even though the petition was registered online by the legal team of the opposition leaders.
Rahul Gandhi accused the Narendra Modi government of protecting the Chief Election Commissioner and questioned the extensive security deployment in Delhi.
He also claimed that several government officers were sharing information with the Opposition, according to reports by national media outlets.
The Congress leader has maintained that the issue is about protecting the Constitution and ensuring that every eligible citizen can exercise the right to vote.
The Opposition has argued that any wrongful deletion of names from electoral rolls could disenfranchise voters.
The allegations of electoral manipulation remain contested.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to update electoral rolls and remove duplicate and ineligible entries.
The current confrontation centres on the Special Intensive Revision, an exercise to verify and update electoral rolls.
Opposition parties have questioned the manner in which the exercise is being conducted and alleged that large numbers of eligible voters risk being removed from the lists.
The controversy intensified after a report by The Indian Express alleged that Chief Election Commissioner had taken several decisions relating to the SIR unilaterally despite objections from two other Election Commissioners.
The allegations have added to Opposition demands for greater transparency in the functioning of the poll panel.
The INDIA bloc has demanded that the revision process be halted until concerns about voter deletions are addressed and that the Chief Election Commissioner step down. The dispute also raises questions about the safeguards available to voters who find their names missing from electoral rolls and the mechanisms for correcting errors before elections.
The Supreme Court’s consideration of the petitions could provide an opportunity for the issues to be examined through evidence and legal arguments. The filing of the petition, however, does not mean that the court has accepted the Opposition’s allegations.
The march came after several days of demonstrations in Delhi against the SIR exercise and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Police detained protesters during the weekend, prompting allegations that peaceful demonstrators, lawyers and journalists had been prevented from carrying out their activities.
The Supreme Court held a special sitting on Sunday, October 11, to consider concerns arising from the protests and police action.
It issued directions against the arbitrary detention of peaceful protesters and raised concerns about disruptions affecting professionals and public services.
Subsequently, fresh petitions were filed alleging that police personnel had continued to detain protesters and had acted against lawyers, despite the court’s directions.
The Supreme Court Bar Association and other petitioners have sought judicial intervention over the alleged manhandling and detention of lawyers. These matters are also scheduled to come up before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Delhi Metro authorities had temporarily closed entry and exit gates at six stations as a security precaution during the Opposition’s mobilisation. The gates were subsequently reopened, according to national media reports.
With Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders’ petitions now before the Supreme Court and several related matters listed for hearing, Tuesday’s proceedings are expected to bring questions concerning electoral roll revision, alleged voter deletions and police action against demonstrators before the judiciary.
The court’s response will be closely watched by both the Opposition and the Election Commission, although the legal issues will have to be decided on the basis of the petitions, the applicable law and the material placed before the Bench.
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