PROCEDURAL HURDLES CLOUD OPPOSITION’S VOTER-ROLL CHALLENGE AS SUPREME COURT REGISTRY FLAGS OVER 10 DEFECTS

October 13, 2026

The Supreme Court Registry has flagged more than 10 procedural defects in a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders challenging alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Registry reportedly asked the petition’s filing lawyer to submit a clear and legible copy of the identity card of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is among the co-petitioners. Other objections included missing or illegible pages and a shortfall of more than ₹200 in the court fee.

The petition was filed after Rahul Gandhi and several Opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court on Monday. It seeks the formation of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, supported by technical experts and other eminent citizens, to audit deletions and modifications made during the electoral-roll revision.

The petitioners have also requested an interim suspension of the ongoing SIR exercise across states until the issues raised before the court are adjudicated. They have sought safeguards to ensure that no eligible voter is removed from electoral rolls without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard.

Additionally, the plea calls for the publication of booth-wise lists of deleted voters, the reasons for their removal and relevant demographic details, alongside a mechanism to restore the names of eligible voters.

The Registry’s objections concern procedural requirements for the filing and do not constitute a judicial determination of the allegations against the Election Commission. The petition’s progress will depend on the rectification of the identified defects and the subsequent course of judicial proceedings.