The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar on petitions led by Rahul Gandhi challenging alleged mass voter deletions and irregularities in the ongoing SIR exercise.
BY PC Bureau
October 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on petitions filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition leaders challenging alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi sought responses from the poll body and the CEC, tagging the petitions with other pleas already pending before the Court that challenge the legality of the SIR exercise in different states.
“We are issuing notice and tagging it with the matters already pending. Somebody will accept notice on behalf of the Election Commission of India. Otherwise, serve them,” the bench said.
The Court also indicated that it would examine the conduct of one of the petitioners at the next hearing, without identifying the person concerned.
Clarifying that the issuance of notice did not amount to a finding against the Election Commission, the bench said the notice concerning one petitioner would be accepted provisionally, subject to that person explaining their conduct on the next date of hearing.
The Court did not specify the nature of the conduct it wished to examine.
The other petitioners include Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, CPI leader D. Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Majhi, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, and Indian Union Muslim League leader Mohammed Basheer.
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SIR row triggers protests in Delhi
The petitions come amid protests in Delhi demanding a review of the SIR process and the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The controversy intensified following an Indian Express report alleging that Kumar had taken several decisions relating to the revision exercise unilaterally, despite objections from the two other Election Commissioners.
Delhi Police detained several protesters over the weekend after imposing prohibitory restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Separate petitions before the Supreme Court have challenged the police action, alleging that journalists and lawyers were among those detained and prevented from performing their professional duties.
On October 12, Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders marched towards the Supreme Court alongside a large crowd before filing the petitions challenging the alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the SIR exercise.
The latest notice brings the opposition leaders’ challenge into the group of cases already before the Supreme Court concerning the legality and implementation of the voter-roll revision process. The Election Commission’s response is awaited.
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