INDIA Bloc Leaders File Supreme Court Petition Against Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls
Rahul Gandhi and ten other INDIA bloc leaders filed a joint petition in the Supreme Court on 12 October challenging the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and seeking a suspension, independent audit of deletions, and disclosure of internal records.
New Delhi2 min read
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Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and ten other leaders of the INDIA bloc filed a joint writ petition in the Supreme Court on 12 October 2026 against the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The petition names the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as respondents.
The petitioners are Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI general secretary D Raja, JMM MP Mahua Majhi, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby and IUML leader ET Mohammed Basheer. They filed the plea after a march from central Delhi to the court premises as part of a "March for Democracy."
The petition seeks suspension of the ongoing SIR until the court decides the case. It asks for an independent audit of voter deletions, disclosure of complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections related to disputed decisions, and access logs for the ECINET and ERONET databases. It also seeks review of EVM-related processes against global practices and challenges the legal basis of certain decisions, alleging unilateral exercise of collective powers by the Chief Election Commissioner.
The Opposition has pointed to reported large-scale deletions, including a reduction of about 2.066 million names in Punjab between June and August 2026. They argue that genuine voters, particularly young people, migrants and marginalised communities, risk removal without adequate process. The plea references earlier Supreme Court observations on forms used in the exercise.
Chief Justice Surya Kant had declined a request for a meeting to receive a memorandum, citing pending related matters and the separation of powers. Several challenges to the SIR in different states remain before the court. A Bihar challenge was decided earlier after elections concluded, upholding the Commission's power while other state cases continue.
The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner over alleged irregularities in the revision and demanding changes to the selection panel. The petition filing followed weeks of opposition criticism of the process that began with a nationwide decision in June 2025.
The Election Commission has defended the revision as a necessary update of rolls. No detailed public response to the new petition had appeared by the time of filing. The case is expected to be listed alongside existing petitions. The outcome could affect the timing and method of roll revisions ahead of future elections.
The joint filing by eleven leaders from multiple parties marks a coordinated legal step after street protests and assembly resolutions. Specific numbers of deletions cited in the petition come from publicly reported figures in individual states. The court will determine whether interim relief on suspension or disclosure is granted while the main questions are examined.
