Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with several INDIA bloc MPs, on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the removal of chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The plea challenges the Election Commission of India’s decision-making process in connection with the SIR and names the poll panel, Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as respondents.
The petitioners have sought access to the EC’s records on the disputed SIR decisions, including files, agendas, minutes, internal notings and objections. They have specifically sought documents relating to the June 24, 2025, order that initiated the revision exercise, along with access logs for the ECINET and ERONET platforms, according to ANI.
They have also asked the Supreme Court to examine whether the decisions were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, the 2023 law governing the Election Commission and the principles laid down in the court’s judgment in T.N. Seshan v Union of India.
The petition seeks a direction barring the deletion of any elector’s name without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard. It also calls for the publication of booth-wise lists of deleted voters, along with the reasons for their removal and relevant demographic details.
Another key demand is the appointment of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit deletions and modifications in electoral-roll databases, including ECINET and ERONET.
The petitioners have also sought an interim stay on the ongoing SIR pending a final decision on the matter and asked the court to direct the ECI to ensure that every decision concerning the SIR is formally recorded in accordance with the 2023 Act.
Besides Gandhi, the petition has been filed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI leader D Raja, JMM MP Mahua Majhi, CPM general secretary M.A. Baby and Indian Union Muslim League leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer.
The raging protests over "vote chori" charge reached the Supreme Court's doorstep on Monday as Opposition MPs and leaders, joined by activists and civil society members, undertook a "March for Democracy" on a heavily barricaded route and filed a joint petition against SIR and alleged poll irregularities, in a show of strength in the national capital.
A crowd carrying flags and posters descended in central Delhi's Connaught Place. They passed through Barakhamba Road, crossed police barriers at Bhagwan Dass Road and reached the Supreme Court, where the opposition leaders filed a joint plea over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"The fight against vote theft will continue. INDIA's battle will go on. The sea of people stands witness, Modi-Shah's accountability will be fixed for sure!" Kharge later said on X.
The development came a day after the Chief Justice of India declined a request for a meeting with the LoPs on the issue, saying the matter is sub judice.
Gandhi and Kharge had written to the CJI seeking an appointment between 4pm and 5pm on Monday to hand over a memorandum demanding an end to “vote chori”, Kumar’s resignation, a halt to the SIR exercise and a return to paper ballots.