New Delhi: Escalating their concerns over the integrity of the electoral process, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other prominent opposition figures have filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The plea seeks an independent, court-monitored investigation into the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petitioners have raised serious questions regarding the transparency of voter deletion procedures and the internal functioning of the poll panel. The plea alleges that crucial decisions pertaining to the nationwide SIR were taken by the Chief Election Commissioner unilaterally, without the knowledge or concurrence of the other Election Commissioners. The Election Commission, however, has previously dismissed similar claims as “one-sided,” maintaining that internal differences of opinion are normal and that decisions were ultimately made unanimously.
A major point of contention in the petition is the alleged unauthorized modification of online Form-6. The opposition leaders claim that a new declaration clause was added in July 2026 without officially amending the relevant rules, potentially hindering eligible citizens and first-time voters from registering smoothly.
Furthermore, the plea highlights claims that approximately 13 crore names across various states and Union Territories were marked for deletion during the SIR process. In its defense, the ECI has clarified that this figure merely represents voters flagged as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate at the draft stage, and does not equate to final deletions. The petition also specifically flags discrepancies in Punjab, noting a reduction of nearly 20.66 lakh names in the August 13 draft list compared to the state’s June 2026 figures, alongside 12.80 lakh voters whose records allegedly do not match the 2003 rolls.
To ensure electoral fairness, the petitioners have urged the Supreme Court to mandate an independent committee, chaired by a retired apex court judge and comprising technical experts. They have requested this committee to audit the voter list revisions, deletion protocols, and EVM functionalities.
Additionally, the opposition leaders have demanded an independent technical probe into the ECI’s digital platforms, ECINet and ERONet, to check for unauthorized access and alterations. The petition also appeals to the Supreme Court to direct the Election Commission to present all relevant internal files, meeting minutes, dissenting notes from commissioners, and digital access logs before the bench.