‘₹220 court fee shortfall, pages missing’: Supreme Court registry cites 10 flaws in Rahul Gandhi plea | Today’s news
The Supreme Court registry on Monday flagged more than 10 defects in a petition filed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and others alleging widespread voter deletion and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Citing sources, PTI said the registry has asked the lawyer who filed the petition to produce a clear copy of the identity card of Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is one of the co-complainants in the case.
The registry also flagged some illegible or missing pages in the petition, sources said. In addition, the registry also pointed out the lack of through ₹200 for the court fee.
The opposition is knocking on the door of the SC
Earlier in the day, Gandhi and several other opposition leaders had marched to the Supreme Court to file an application.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party (Pawar) (NCP-SCP) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut and some other opposition leaders are also in the petition.
The petition got the Election Commission of India (EC), Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on the case.
What did Rahul Gandhi’s plea seek
The plea sought the establishment of an independent committee, headed by a former Supreme Court judge and assisted by technical experts and other prominent citizens, to conduct an independent audit of the deletions and edits made during the SIR within a specified time.
It also sought direction to ensure that no voter is struck off the electoral roll without prior notice and adequate opportunity of being heard in accordance with law and also to ensure that eligible persons in Punjab and other states going to polls are allowed to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll up to the last date permitted by law.
“To issue an interim order suspending the ongoing special intensive review of voter rolls in the states of the Union pending the consideration and evaluation of the issues raised in this petition in order to protect the rights of eligible voters and preserve the integrity of the election process,” the lawsuit states.
“Controversial decisions” in the spotlight
The petition sought to direct the Electoral Panel to record the complete files, agendas, minutes, notes and objections recorded by the Election Commissioners in relation to each of the “disputed decisions” relating to the SIR electoral rolls, along with the relevant ECINET and ERONET access logs and the complete file containing the decisions dated 24 June 2025 until the commencement of the SIR exercise across the country.
He sought a direction to review whether the impugned decisions relating to the SIR were taken in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Tenure) Act, 2023 and the law promulgated by the Supreme Court.
