India: Supreme Court hears Rahul Gandhi’s Election Commission plea over voter deletions
Court takes up voter petition
The case, filed by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers, challenges the Special Intensive Revision of India’s electoral rolls. A Supreme Court list showed it before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant.
The court issued notice to the Election Commission of India and its three commissioners, including chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, asking them to respond. It said the petition would be considered alongside other pending cases concerning the revision.
Dispute over voter deletions
The petition seeks an interim halt to the nationwide process, an audit of voter deletions and protection against removing names without advance notice. The exercise has so far removed more than 130 million names from the rolls, according to the report.
The Election Commission rejects claims of irregularities. It says the process removes deceased, relocated and duplicate voters and prevents the addition of illegal foreign immigrants. The BJP has also dismissed the allegations, describing the protests as attempts to create anarchy.
Protest preceded filing
Gandhi filed the plea after a protest march to the Supreme Court, accompanied by thousands of people, including opposition INDIA bloc members, student leaders, activists and civil society representatives. The march passed through a heavily barricaded area of the capital.
Demonstrators have called for Gyanesh Kumar to resign, alleging voter-roll manipulation in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP. The poll body denies the accusations.
Key points
- The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission and its three commissioners to respond to Gandhi’s petition.
- The petition requests a temporary pause, an audit of deletions and safeguards requiring prior notice.
- The voter-list revision has removed more than 130 million names so far.
- The Election Commission says the process removes deceased, relocated and duplicate voters and blocks illegal foreign voters.