Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s petition in the Supreme Court concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has encountered procedural hurdles, with the court registry identifying 14 technical defects in the filing. The petition can be listed for hearing only after the defects are rectified.
The objections have prevented the proposed hearing and mentioning of the petition on Tuesday from proceeding. The issue relates to the procedural status of the petition and does not constitute a final judicial decision on the relief sought.
According to the available information, scrutiny of the petition revealed several documentary and procedural deficiencies. These include errors in the names of respondents, the absence of necessary clarification regarding the inclusion of private parties as respondents, and the failure to attach a copy of a relevant earlier judgment.
The registry also noted that vakalatnamas had not been filed by the nine petitioners other than Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. A vakalatnama is a document authorising a lawyer to represent a party before a court.
Other objections include an unclear copy of Kharge’s identity document, a shortfall of Rs 220 in the prescribed court fee, and issues relating to the printing of documents.
The deficiencies must be addressed for the petition to proceed through the regular judicial process. Until the required corrections are completed, the petition cannot be listed for hearing.
The petition was filed amid a dispute over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and concerns raised by opposition parties regarding electoral transparency.
On Monday, opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi held a march in Delhi. Several leaders and supporters of the INDIA alliance participated in the demonstration.
Opposition parties alleged that the deletion of large numbers of voters’ names during the revision of electoral rolls and purported irregularities in the electoral process raised serious questions. They called for an investigation into these matters and measures to ensure transparency in the electoral process.
The Congress legal team filed the petition in the Supreme Court on Monday in connection with the issue. The petition reportedly seeks an immediate stay on the SIR process and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from office. The court has yet to deliver a final decision on these demands.
According to the available details, the petition has 11 petitioners, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with prominent leaders and parliamentarians from other opposition parties.
The petitioners include Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader M.A. Baby and Communist Party of India leader D. Raja.
The other petitioners are Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Maji, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule and Indian Union Muslim League leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer.
The available list does not include any leader from the Aam Aadmi Party. The Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have been named as respondents in the petition.
According to the available information, the Supreme Court had directed the registry to complete the procedural formalities and have the defects in the petition rectified so that the matter could be listed for hearing.
However, the technical objections identified during scrutiny prevented the proceedings from advancing on Tuesday. The petitioners’ legal team must now complete the required documentation, file the outstanding vakalatnamas and address the other deficiencies.
The petition can be listed for hearing once the registry completes the necessary procedural steps. The next hearing date has not been confirmed in the available information.
