Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 14: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding manipulation of the electoral rolls in the Bengaluru Central constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed petitioner Rohit Pandey to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) instead, stating that the court was “not inclined to entertain the petition” in its current form.
“We have heard the petitioner’s counsel. We are not inclined to entertain the petition, which is purportedly filed in the public interest. The petitioner may pursue the matter before the ECI, if so advised,” the bench observed.
The petition stemmed from serious claims made by Rahul Gandhi in August this year, where he alleged a “huge criminal fraud” in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat. Citing a Congress-led probe in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment, part of the contested seat, Gandhi had accused the BJP and the ECI of rigging the elections through five distinct methods. The BJP ultimately won the seat by a margin of 32,707 votes.
Petitioner Pandey claimed he had independently verified Gandhi’s accusations and found “sufficient prima facie material” pointing to thousands of invalid and duplicate voter entries. He argued that such irregularities amounted to a violation of the constitutional right to universal adult suffrage under Article 326, and breached the ECI’s mandate under Article 324 to ensure free and fair elections.
In his plea, Pandey had urged the apex court to halt any further revision or finalisation of electoral rolls across the country until an independent audit of the voter lists was conducted.
The bench, however, made it clear that the appropriate forum for electoral grievances of this nature is the Election Commission, not the Supreme Court.
The ruling comes at a time when the Congress party continues to question the credibility of electoral processes and electronic voting machines (EVMs), especially in close-fought constituencies like Bengaluru Central. The rejection of the PIL also underscores the judiciary’s deference to constitutional bodies like the ECI in matters related to the conduct of elections.