The Supreme Court Registry has identified 14 procedural defects in a petition filed by opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, raising concerns over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and large-scale deletion of voters’ names.
The objections, raised on Monday, include incomplete or unclear documents, missing pages and a court fee deficiency of Rs 220.
The Registry has asked the advocate handling the petition to provide a legible copy of the identity card of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is among the petitioners. Several pages of the filing were also found to be missing or difficult to read.
Opposition Seeks Independent Audit of Voter Roll Changes
The petition seeks judicial intervention in the functioning of the Election Commission, particularly concerning the revision of electoral rolls and the role of CEC Gyanesh Kumar in the decision-making process.
Among its principal demands is the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, with assistance from technical specialists and other eminent citizens.
The proposed committee would conduct a time-bound examination of voter deletions and alterations made to electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.
The opposition leaders have also requested a separate examination of the integrity of electoral-roll databases and the implementation of SIR.
While seeking suspension of the revision exercise, the petitioners have not questioned the legality of SIR itself.
They have additionally sought measures to ensure that eligible voters are included in electoral rolls in Punjab and other states scheduled to hold elections.
Petition Raises Concerns Over CEC’s Powers and EVM System
The INDIA bloc has also sought safeguards against what it describes as unilateral decision-making by CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The petition raises questions about the Election Commission’s functioning, alleged arbitrary removal of voters during SIR and the framework governing the use and deployment of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The opposition leaders have called for scrutiny of these issues through judicial intervention.
Rahul Gandhi Leads Opposition March to Supreme Court
Before the filing, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led a march to the Supreme Court on Monday, accompanied by several opposition leaders and thousands of supporters.
The delegation included Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPM leader M A Baby, CPI leader D Raja, JMM leader Mahua Majhi, NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule and IUML leader E T Mohammed Basheer.
The opposition delegation had also sought a meeting with the Chief Justice of India, but the request was declined.
Following the development, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition respected the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court. He welcomed the suggestion that the leaders could pursue their grievances through a petition, describing it as a way forward.
The filing now faces the Registry’s objections relating to documentation and court fees.
