New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s legal challenge over alleged electoral irregularities has encountered procedural hurdles, with the Supreme Court (SC) Registry flagging 14 defects in a petition filed by the Congress leader and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders, including a shortfall of ₹220 in the prescribed court fee.
The objections reportedly include missing or unsigned authorisation documents for nine petitioners, an illegible identity card of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, incomplete supporting records and deficiencies in the documents submitted with the petition.
The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, has been registered under Diary No. 64196/2026. The registry’s objections need to be addressed before the matter can proceed towards listing for a hearing.
The defects are procedural in nature and do not constitute a judicial finding on the opposition’s allegations of electoral irregularities or what it describes as “vote chori”.
What Are the 14 Defects?
Among the objections reportedly raised by the registry are deficiencies in the vakalatnamas, the legal documents authorising advocates to represent the petitioners. The registry has also sought a legible copy of Kharge’s identity card and copies of relevant judicial orders and supporting documents.
Other objections reportedly concern missing digital copies of certain records, incomplete or illegible pages, formatting issues, requirements relating to colour copies of documents and questions over the inclusion of individual Election Commissioners as private respondents.
The registry has also flagged a shortfall of ₹220 in the prescribed court fee. The petitioners’ legal team will have to rectify the defects and comply with the filing requirements before the matter can move forward.
What Does the Petition Seek?
Rahul Gandhi and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders have challenged aspects of the Election Commission of India’s electoral-roll revision exercise, raising concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the possibility of eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls.
The petition seeks the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, with technical experts and other eminent persons, to examine deletions and modifications in electoral rolls.
It also seeks interim suspension of the ongoing SIR exercise until the issues raised are considered by the court, along with safeguards to prevent the removal of eligible voters without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
The petitioners have further sought greater transparency in the revision process, including booth-wise details of deleted voters, reasons for deletions and access to relevant Election Commission records.
They have argued that electoral-roll revisions must follow transparent procedures and provide adequate safeguards to protect citizens’ voting rights. These remain allegations and demands advanced by the petitioners and have not been adjudicated by the Supreme Court.
Punjab Voter Deletions Cited as a Concern
The petition reportedly refers to changes in Punjab’s electoral rolls to underline concerns about the scale of voter deletions. Figures cited in the filing indicate a reduction of approximately 20.66 lakh names from an electorate of around 2.14 crore recorded in June 2026, following the publication of a draft electoral roll on August 13, 2026.
The opposition has questioned whether large-scale deletions and modifications are being carried out with adequate transparency and safeguards. However, the number of deleted names alone does not establish that all those voters were eligible or that the deletions were unlawful.
The legality of the process and the safeguards available to affected voters would require examination on the basis of the relevant records and applicable law.
INDIA Bloc Leaders Raise Electoral Concerns
The filing came amid the INDIA bloc’s campaign against alleged electoral irregularities and concerns over the Election Commission’s functioning. Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have repeatedly demanded greater transparency in electoral-roll preparation and scrutiny of voter deletions.
The dispute has placed the SIR exercise and the protection of eligible voters’ rights at the centre of the opposition’s challenge.
The petition also follows efforts by opposition leaders to seek the intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Their request for a meeting was declined on grounds of judicial propriety and the separation of powers, with the indication that a properly filed petition could be considered in accordance with the law.
Supreme Court Hearing Awaits Rectification
The immediate task for the petitioners’ legal team is to address the registry’s objections, including the court-fee shortfall and deficiencies in the supporting documents.
Once the defects are rectified, the petition can move towards consideration for listing before a Supreme Court bench. The court will then have to decide whether to entertain the pleas and examine the substantive issues raised by the petitioners.
The registry’s objections do not amount to a rejection of the petition or a ruling on the merits of the allegations.
The case thus presents two separate questions: whether the petition satisfies the Supreme Court’s procedural requirements and whether the concerns raised over electoral-roll revisions warrant judicial intervention. The latter remains to be determined by the court.
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What Next? The petitioners’ legal team will have to rectify the 14 defects flagged by the Supreme Court Registry, including the ₹220 court-fee shortfall and deficiencies in supporting documents. Once the objections are addressed, the plea may be considered for listing before a Supreme Court bench. The court’s subsequent proceedings will determine whether the opposition’s allegations concerning electoral-roll revisions and its demand for safeguards against the deletion of eligible voters warrant judicial intervention. |
