SC notice to ECI on plea against SIR, voter deletions, pulls up Rahul, others over court march

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and others on a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the poll panel's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi sought responses from the ECI, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The court also issued notice to Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others on a separate plea challenging their march to the Supreme Court over alleged SIR irregularities, observing that nobody could browbeat the judiciary.

"We are issuing notice... Tagging with pending cases. But we would like to ask one of the petitioners about his conduct," the bench said.

During the hearing, some lawyers referred to the Congress leader's march to the apex court over the alleged irregularities in the SIR. "Nobody can browbeat judiciary. We are not sitting in ivory towers," the bench observed.

The court had also raised concerns about the conduct of one of the 13 petitioners challenging the manner in which the ECI is conducting the SIR.

"We would like to ask one of the petitioners about his conduct on the next date of hearing," the CJI said while issuing notice on the plea filed by Gandhi and other Opposition leaders.

The petition, filed on October 12 by Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, challenges the ECI's decisions relating to the SIR of electoral rolls.

The petitioners include 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, among others.

The petition, registered as W.P.(C) No. 001351/2026, was filed on October 12 and registered by the Supreme Court Registry on October 13 after initial procedural defects were addressed.

It seeks a judicial examination of whether the decisions were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the Election Commission and the Supreme Court's ruling in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India.

Among the reliefs sought, the petition asks the court to ensure that no elector is deleted without notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing. It also seeks the publication of booth-wise lists of deleted electors, along with the reasons for deletion and demographic details.

The Supreme Court also issued notices to the Centre and others on various pleas related to the ECI filed by leaders including Asaduddin Owaisi.

During Thursday's hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred to the unconditional apology tendered by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in a contempt matter. Mehta submitted that tendering an unconditional apology did not mean that actions could not be defended, adding that it was part of the procedure.

The bench told Mehta that it was not taking cognisance of media reports that authorities had tendered unconditional apologies before the court.

The contempt case concerns the alleged violation of the Supreme Court's direction to ensure there was no "complete prohibition" on Metro and train services in Delhi following the October 10 protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The apex court also agreed to examine a plea challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Gandhi and several other Opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to file the petition relating to the SIR.

Delhi has witnessed several protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll revision.