New Delhi: The Supreme Court registry has flagged 14 defects in a joint petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several INDIA bloc leaders challenging alleged electoral irregularities and the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The defects include a shortfall of Rs 220 in court fees, missing authorisations from nine petitioners and an illegible photocopy of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s identity card, according to the objections raised by the registry.
Other discrepancies include missing vakalatnamas, which authorise lawyers to represent clients, illegible text, missing pages, improperly numbered pages and the failure to submit coloured copies of two documents. The registry also flagged certain vernacular pages and documents printed in small fonts.
The petitioners will have to rectify the defects before the matter can be listed for hearing before the apex court.
The joint petition was filed by Gandhi, Kharge, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI leader D Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Majhi, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby and Indian Union Muslim League leader ET Mohammed Basheer.
The petition names the Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as respondents.
The INDIA bloc leaders have sought ten forms of relief, including directions to produce all records relating to the SIR, scrutiny of the constitutional validity of the poll body’s decisions, action against officials allegedly responsible for irregularities, and redressal of the petitioners’ grievances. They have also sought an audit by an independent committee.
The legal move came amid a march by Opposition leaders and supporters in central Delhi to protest alleged electoral irregularities and what they termed ‘vote chori’ (vote theft).
The Opposition leaders had earlier sought a meeting with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to submit a memorandum demanding an end to alleged electoral malpractice, the resignation of Kumar, a halt to the SIR exercise and a return to paper ballots. The Chief Justice declined the request, stating that the matter was sub judice.
Before the march, Justice Kant said the Supreme Court’s doors remained open to everyone, including ordinary citizens and elected representatives.
The petition is listed on the Supreme Court website as Rahul Gandhi v. Election Commission of India.
