Supreme Court summons Election Commission over Rahul Gandhi's demand for probe into voting irregularities

The Supreme Court of India has formally notified the Election Commission of India and its three election commissioners after a petition was lodged by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and twelve leaders from the INDIA bloc. The petition, filed through advocate S Prasanna, seeks an independent, time-limited probe into alleged irregularities, including claims that chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made unilateral decisions and that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls should be halted pending inquiry.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, also issued a provisional notice to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Maji, requiring her to explain remarks made in the petition. The opposition argues that the concentration of power in a single commissioner undermines the constitutional requirement for collective decision-making within the Election Commission. They request production of all files, minutes and objections recorded by commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and propose an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine the poll panel’s procedures and electronic voting machine architecture.