Registry points out 14 defects in Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc's SIR petition, not listed for hearing yet

What the registry objected to

These objections are related to the process of filing the petition. This does not mean that the court has formed any opinion on the arguments in the petition or has dismissed it. According to reports, the defects include the following:

• Discrepancies in the names of the respondents.
• No explanation was provided for making private parties respondents. The registry has also asked why the Election Commissioners were made respondents in their personal capacity.
• A copy of an old judgment was not attached.
• Except for Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the vakalatnamas of the remaining 9 petitioners were not submitted.
• The copy of Kharge's identity card is blurred.
• Court fees were short by 220 rupees.
• There were deficiencies in the printing of documents.

What the court directed

According to information, the Supreme Court had told the registry on Monday to complete the petition process the same day so that the matter could be listed for hearing. Following this, the defects came to light, which are now being rectified. Some reports state that the path to a hearing could open once the deficiencies are addressed soon. Currently, no date has been set for the hearing.

What has been sought in the petition

Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, this petition has a total of 11 petitioners. These include Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy (TMC), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), M.A. Baby (CPI-M), D. Raja (CPI), Mahua Maji (JMM), Supriya Sule (NCP-Sharad Pawar), and E.T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML). There is no petitioner from the Aam Aadmi Party.

The respondents include the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. Some reports also mention Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi as a party.

The petition alleges large-scale deletion of voters' names and irregularities during the SIR. According to reports, the main demands are:

• An immediate interim stay on the SIR.
• An audit of the name-deletion process and changes made to the electoral database by an independent committee headed by a retired judge.
• Making the booth-wise list of all deleted names public and providing the reason for each deletion.
• An investigation into the changes made in Form-6 and the reliability of the Commission's digital platform.

The opposition has also demanded the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his post. All these points are the allegations and demands of the petitioners. The court has not yet made any comment or passed any order on them. The Election Commission's official stance on this petition has not yet been made public.

Petition filed after march to Supreme Court

On Monday, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc leaders held a march to the Supreme Court in Delhi. Hundreds of supporters and workers participated in the march. The leaders accused the Election Commission of large-scale deletion of voters' names and alleged "vote theft." During the march itself, the Congress legal team reached the Supreme Court and filed the petition.

What next

Now, the Congress legal team will have to rectify the defects and resubmit the petition to the registry. Only then will it be decided before which bench and when the matter will be listed for hearing. The court will then also decide its stance on the demand for an interim stay on the SIR.