Opposition leaders move SC for full disclosure of SIR records, seek suspension of exercise

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, along with other leaders of Opposition parties, moved the Supreme Court on Monday (October 12, 2026) seeking a complete disclosure of “files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections” recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which has so far led to the deletion of about 13 crore voters from electoral rolls across India.

Mr. Gandhi sought a judicial examination of the Election Commission of India (ECI) records to verify whether Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar acted arbitrarily and unilaterally during the ongoing SIR.

The Congress leader said the petition highlights serious concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process itself under the SIR. He argued that the aftermath of the SIR has witnessed the infringement of the constitutional right of eligible citizens to be registered as voters and to exercise their right to vote.

He sought an interim direction from the Supreme Court to suspend the SIR pending consideration and adjudication of the issues raised in the petition in order to protect the rights of eligible electors and preserve the integrity of the electoral process.

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“The right to vote belongs to every eligible citizen irrespective of political affiliation, and its protection is a constitutional imperative that transcends party politics,” the petition, represented by senior advocate A.M. Singhvi and filed through advocate Prasanna S., said.

CJI’s letter

The petition reproduced an excerpt of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant’s response to Mr. Gandhi and co-petitioner and Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge to their letter seeking a meeting on Monday (October 12, 2026). While the CJI had declined the meeting, the top judge had pointed out that pending petitions on identical issues were coming up for hearing on Tuesday (October 13).

“If so advised, you may submit your petition on Monday (October 12), either physically at the Supreme Court of India, between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m… You have my assurance that any such petition shall be heard at the earliest possible opportunity, in accordance with law,” the CJI’s letter had promised. Mr. Gandhi said the petition was filed banking on the Chief Justice’s promise for an early hearing.

Mr. Gandhi and other Opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court on Monday (October 12) even though their petition was technically filed at 4.37 p.m. They entered the Supreme Court Registry, verified their supporting documents with the Registry officials and left. Their arrival was in the presence of heavy security and under stampede-like conditions with supporters raising slogans.

The petitioners, who also include Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Sanjay Raut, M.A. Baby, D. Raja, Mahua Majhi, Supriya Sule and E.T. Mohammed Basheer — leaders from various political parties in the Opposition bloc — asked the court to direct the ECI to provide ECINET and ERONET access logs and the complete file recording of the June 24, 2025 decision to commence SIR.

The petition, which arraigned the ECI and its three commissioners as respondents, sought an explanation about the modification of the online Form 6 available on ECINET from July 2026 by the addition of a declaration concerning the presence of the applicant or their relatives in an earlier SIR electoral roll.

Independent panel

The petition asked the court to constitute an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to conduct an independent audit of the deletions and modifications made during the SIR.

Mr. Gandhi and other petitioners have also urged the court to task the proposed independent committee to carry out a review of the “decisions, policies, procedures, protocols, technical designs and architecture relating to the use and deployment of Electronic Voting Machines”.

The petitioners demanded that the ECI publish, booth-wise, the names of all electors deleted during the SIR, together with the reasons for each deletion and a breakdown of deletions by gender and age, and provide an effective and functional mechanism for restoring the names of electors found eligible for inclusion in the electoral rolls.

They asked the court to ensure that eligible persons in Punjab and other States going to the polls are permitted to seek inclusion in the electoral rolls until the last date permitted by law.

Published – October 12, 2026 05:36 pm IST