The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the three election commissioners on a petition filed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and 12 other INDIA bloc leaders seeking an independent inquiry into alleged electoral irregularities and the functioning of the poll panel.
The plea was initially held up after the registry flagged 14 defects, including a shortfall of ₹ 220 in court fees, an illegible photocopy of Kharge’s identity card and missing vakalatnamas for nine petitioners. The petition, which seeks a time-bound investigation into allegations that chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took several decisions unilaterally, also calls for suspending the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls pending an independent inquiry. The INDIA bloc leaders have contended that the alleged exercise of collective powers by a single member of the ECI raises questions about compliance with the Constitution and the law governing the functioning of the three-member body. The plea was filed by Gandhi and other opposition leaders after the CJI declined to meet the Congress leader and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, over their concerns regarding the SIR exercise and the functioning of the ECI. The CJI had instead indicated that their concerns could be raised through appropriate judicial proceedings.
Gandhi personally approached the Supreme Court registry on Monday to file the petition, joined by Kharge and leaders of other INDIA bloc parties in a show of opposition unity.
The opposition leaders have argued that the independence and collective functioning of the ECI are integral to free and fair elections, a feature of the Constitution’s basic structure. They have sought appropriate action against those responsible for any breach of the constitutional or statutory provisions governing electoral-roll preparation and revision. Referring to a report by The Indian Express that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected to Kumar’s alleged unilateral decision-making on 14 occasions over 10 months, the petition seeks production of the complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections recorded by the two commissioners on disputed decisions, including the June 2025 decision to undertake the SIR exercise. Among its other grievances, the plea questions the alleged modification of statutory Form 6 without amending the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the centralised functioning of the ECINET and ERONET electoral-roll databases, and the exclusion of eligible voters without adequate notice, hearing or an effective mechanism for restoration.
