Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 15: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a petition filed by Rahul Gandhi and 12 other opposition leaders challenging decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and seeking greater transparency in the Election Commission of India’s decision-making process. The court will also take up a batch of petitions concerning police action and restrictions imposed during the October 10 protest in Delhi.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will hear the plea seeking disclosure of records relating to disputed decisions taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in connection with the SIR exercise.
The petition has sought directions to the poll panel to submit complete files, agendas, meeting minutes, official notings and objections recorded by Election Commissioners concerning the disputed decisions. It has also sought access logs of the ECINET (Election Commission Information Network) and ERONET (Electoral Roll Officers’ Network) systems, along with records relating to the June 24, 2025, decision to initiate the SIR exercise across the country.
The petitioners have specifically sought details of the decision to modify Form 6, which is used for voter registration, including information about who authorised the changes and the minutes of the meeting at which the decision was taken.
The plea has urged the court to examine whether the disputed decisions complied with Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the legal principles laid down by the Supreme Court. The petitioners have argued that decisions taken without lawful authority should be quashed.
The opposition leaders have also sought an interim stay on the ongoing SIR exercise across states until the issues raised in the petition are adjudicated.
The plea seeks safeguards to ensure that no voter is removed from the electoral rolls without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity of hearing in accordance with the law. It has also urged the court to ensure that eligible voters in Punjab and other states going to polls can seek inclusion in the electoral rolls until the last date prescribed by law.
Additionally, the petitioners have sought the publication of booth-wise lists of electors deleted during the SIR exercise, along with the reasons for each deletion and a breakdown based on age and gender. They have also called for an effective mechanism to restore the names of eligible voters who have been wrongly excluded.
Besides Rahul Gandhi, the petitioners include Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Communist Party of India leader D Raja, among others.
The Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have been named as respondents.
Separately, the Supreme Court will hear a series of petitions challenging police action and restrictions imposed during the October 10 protest in Delhi.
The petitions raise concerns over alleged police action against protesters, the reported detention of lawyers, the alleged house arrest of opposition leaders and restrictions on public movement and communication services.
The matters also concern the alleged disruption of metro and railway services, road blockades and the suspension of internet services during the protest. Contempt petitions have also been filed against the Union Home Secretary, police officials and the Metro chairperson over alleged violations.
The petitioners have questioned the legality of the measures, arguing that the police action and restrictions affected the rights of protesters and other citizens.
During a hearing on Sunday, the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to the Centre and sought its response. The related petitions are scheduled to be taken up on Friday.
The proceedings concern questions relating to transparency in electoral administration, the protection of voters’ rights and the legality of restrictions imposed during public protests.