Alleged Voter Deletions: Supreme Court Issues Notice to CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Supreme Court of India on October 15, 2026, issued notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over petitions challenging alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard petitions filed by Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Asaduddin Owaisi and Digvijaya Singh. The petitioners alleged irregularities in the revision process and sought an immediate suspension of SIR, the formation of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, and the disclosure of booth-wise details of deleted voters, along with records of internal discussions and decisions made by election officials.

The bench examined documents relating to 46 petitions concerning the matter. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia objected to the Opposition leaders’ protests and marches over an issue pending before the court, arguing that such demonstrations could be viewed as attempts to exert pressure on the judiciary. Responding to the submissions, the Chief Justice asserted that the judiciary could not be intimidated and that the court was fully aware of developments outside its premises. The bench also directed that all CCTV footage relating to the October 12 protest on the Supreme Court premises be preserved. It clarified that issuing notices on the petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decisions did not amount to endorsing the political leaders’ protests or condoning their conduct.