Opposition to Supreme Court Seeks Intervention Over Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision

India's top court is being called upon to step in as concerns over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision process of electoral rolls come to a head. A coalition of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have joined forces to file a joint petition with the Supreme Court, alleging widespread irregularities in the commission's actions during the SIR.

The petitioners, representing a range of India's major bloc parties, claim that the Election Commission has overstepped its authority in the revision process, sparking a constitutional crisis.

"The present petition arises from serious allegations concerning the functioning of the Election Commission of India during the implementation of the SIR, including the alleged exercise of the Commission’s collective powers by the Chief Election Commissioner without the knowledge, approval or concurrence of the other Election Commissioners; the absence of a recorded decision of the Commission authorising the nationwide SIR; the unlawful modification of the statutory Form 6 without amendment of the applicable Rules; the centralised and opaque functioning of the ECINET and ERONET electoral-roll databases; and the large-scale exclusion of electors without adequate notice, hearing or an effective mechanism for restoration,".

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the plea argues.

According to The Indian Express’s investigative report of 23 September 2026. Which reported that the two Election Commissioners had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over a period of ten months. The petition records the Commission’s response that noting that the reports present only one part of the picture.

That differences of opinion are normal in deliberative processes, and that its decisions were unanimous.

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Among the prayers, the petitioners seek a direction to the Election Commission of India “to place on record the complete files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections recorded by the Election Commissioners in respect of each of the disputed decisions relating to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls”. They also seek to “constitute an independent committee headed by a retired Judge of this Hon’ble Court and assisted by technical experts and other citizens of eminence, to conduct, within a fixed time, an independent audit of the deletions and modifications made during the Special Intensive Revision”.

The plea also sought a direction to the EC “to publish, booth-wise, the names of all electors deleted during the Special Intensive Revision, together with the reasons for each deletion and a breakdown of deletions by gender and age”. They also sought noting that an interim direction suspending the ongoing SIR exercise across States of the Union.

Pending consideration and adjudication of the issues raised in the present petition.