Politics · India · 4 hrs ago
INDIA bloc asks Supreme Court to pause voter-roll revision and audit deletions
The opposition INDIA bloc has asked India’s Supreme Court to intervene in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of voter rolls.
The petition was filed in New Delhi on Monday by lawyer S Prasanna on behalf of Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders.
The bloc says eligible voters may have been removed without adequate notice or a fair way to challenge the deletions.
It wants the revision paused while the court considers its concerns, and asks for an independent committee led by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit voter deletions and changes to electoral databases.
The petition also seeks records of decisions and access to database logs, and says online Form 6, used to register new voters, should follow the prescribed rules.
It raises wider questions about how the Election Commission makes decisions and how electronic voting machine systems are governed.
The Supreme Court registry identified defects in the petition, and the bloc’s lawyer said they would be corrected.
INDIA bloc leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking a pause to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The petition alleges arbitrary voter deletions and raises concerns about the Election Commission’s decisions and electoral-roll databases.
It asks for an independent committee led by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit voter deletions, database changes and the SIR rollout.
The petition also seeks publication of booth-wise deletion lists with reasons and a mechanism to restore eligible voters.
It requests records and access logs relating to disputed SIR decisions, including the decision to begin the nationwide revision.
- Who
- INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, filed the petition against the Election Commission of India and its officials.
- What
- They seek a pause to the SIR and an independent audit of voter deletions and electoral-roll databases.
- When
- Monday, October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The Supreme Court of India in New Delhi.
- Why
- The petition alleges arbitrary deletions and raises concerns about eligible citizens’ voting rights and the integrity of the electoral process.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Election Commission’s decision to commence the SIR across the country was made, according to the petition.
INDIA bloc members marched to the Supreme Court and filed a joint petition seeking scrutiny of the SIR and related issues.
The Supreme Court registry identified defects in the petition, and counsel said he would address them.
- Petition filed
- October 12, 2026
- Petitioners
- Rahul Gandhi and 10 INDIA bloc leaders
- Respondent
- Election Commission of India
- Proposed audit panel
- Led by a retired Supreme Court judge, with technical experts and eminent citizens
- SIR start decision
- June 24, 2025
- Database systems
- ECINET and ERONET
What people are saying
We respect CJI and SC. We are quite happy he has given us a path forward. To tell us we can file a petition is a path forward.
The validity of SIR does not dispense with the requirement that each decision taken in its implementation must conform to Constitution, governing statutes and applicable rules.
Sources
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