SC calls on ECI regarding SIR, voter removals; reprimands Rahul Gandhi and others for court procession.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court notified the Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding a petition submitted by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, which contests purported widespread voter deletions and irregularities in the current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The court additionally sent a notice to Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and others regarding a different request contesting their march to the Supreme Court about supposed electoral misconduct, stating that “nobody can intimidate the judiciary” and that the court was “not isolated in ivory towers.” A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi stated that the replies from the ECI and other parties would be requested, and the petitions would be associated with similar cases already before the court.

“We would like to ask one of the petitioners about his conduct on the next date of hearing. Issuing notice does not mean that we are condemning anything. We are issuing notice. But about one of the petitioners, we will definitely entertain the issue,” the bench said.

The court specified that the notice did not constitute a condemnation of any party. It also stated that the notification regarding one petitioner would be considered temporarily, pending clarification of his behavior. The bench did not identify the petitioner it was alluding to in this remark. The Supreme Court has also sent notices to the Centre and others regarding several petitions concerning the Election Commission, including those submitted by leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi.

On October 12, Gandhi, together with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several other leaders from the INDIA bloc, filed a petition with the Supreme Court contesting the ECI’s decisions regarding the SIR of electoral rolls. The Supreme Court Registry logged the petition as W.P. (C) No. 001351/2026 on October 13, subsequent to the resolution of initial procedural issues.
The petition claims that the revision process has led to the widespread removal of legitimate voters, especially among youth, migrants, and disadvantaged groups. It requests judicial review to determine if the ECI’s actions adhere to Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the Supreme Court’s decision in T.N. Seshan vs Union of India.
Gandhi has requested directives demanding the ECI to provide its entire files, agendas, minutes, notes, and objections regarding contested decisions related to the SIR, as well as pertinent ECINET and ERONET access logs and records tied to the June 24, 2025, decision to initiate the revision process nationwide.
The petition further requests an investigation into whether the contested decisions were made in compliance with the constitutional and statutory regulations governing the Election Commission.
Other reliefs requested include orders to guarantee that each ECI decision regarding the SIR is accurately documented as per Section 18 of the 2023 Act and that online Form 6 adheres to the format specified in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The petition also requests measures against individuals accountable for any violations of constitutional or legal provisions related to the creation and updating of electoral rolls, including under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, when applicable.

During the hearing on Thursday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the unconditional apology offered by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in a contempt issue. Mehta argued that offering an unconditional apology did not imply that actions could not be defended, noting that it was a component of the process.

The bench informed Mehta that it was not acknowledging media reports stating that officials had offered unconditional apologies to the court.The contempt matter relates to the purported breach of the Supreme Court’s directive to guarantee that there was no “total ban” on Metro and train operations in Delhi after the October 10 demonstration organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).