Published Oct 15, 2026 | 3:26 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 3:31 PM
The Election Commission of India.
The Supreme Court on Thursday, October 15, issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on a batch of pleas challenging the mass deletion of voters and other alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
A two-judge bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the pleas filed by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders.
The bench sought responses from the ECI and the CEC while tagging the pleas with already pending petitions challenging the SIR exercise.
“We are issuing notice and tagging it with the matters already pending. Somebody will accept notice on behalf of the Election Commission of India. Otherwise, serve them,” the court said, reported Bar and Bench.
The court also directed one of the petitioners to “explain his conduct” without specifying which petitioner it was referring to.
“Issue notice.But one objection, before that. 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. Issue notice. The notice on behalf of one of the petitioners will be entertained on a provisional basis, subject to his explaining his conduct,” the court said.
The petition was filed by Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders on October 12, after the CJI refused to meet the LoP amid protests demanding the resignation of the CEC.
The other petitioners include Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader MA Baby, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Majhi, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader Mohammed Basheer.
Before filing the plea, thousands led by INDIA bloc leaders marched to the Supreme Court demanding the intervention of the CJI in the large-scale voter deletions and other irregularities in the SIR.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
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