SC Seeks EC Response On Rahul Gandhi’s Plea Over SIR, Says ‘Nobody Can Browbeat Judiciary’

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its top officials on a plea filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the poll panel, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The court said the plea would be tagged with pending cases but indicated that it wanted to question one of the petitioners about his conduct.

The hearing also saw the bench remark that “nobody can browbeat judiciary” after lawyers referred to the march by Gandhi and other opposition leaders to the Supreme Court on Monday over alleged SIR irregularities.

“We are issuing notice … Tagging with pending cases. But we would like to ask one of the petitioners about his conduct,” the bench said.

The court also observed that nobody could browbeat the judiciary.

SC Issues Notice To Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav Over March

The Supreme Court also issued notices to Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others on a plea challenging their march to the apex court over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.

The opposition leaders had marched to the court on Monday to file a petition concerning alleged voter deletions and problems in the revision of electoral rolls. Several protests have been held in Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the allegations.

The court also issued notices to the Centre and other respondents on various pleas concerning the Election Commission, including petitions filed by leaders such as AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Separately, the apex court agreed to examine a plea challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Contempt Matter Over Delhi Metro, Train Restrictions

During Thursday’s proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta referred to the unconditional apology tendered by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in a contempt matter. Mehta submitted that offering an unconditional apology did not mean the authorities could not defend their actions, adding that an apology was part of the legal procedure.

The bench said it was not taking cognisance of media reports about authorities tendering unconditional apologies before the court.

The contempt matter concerns the alleged violation of the Supreme Court’s direction to ensure there was no “complete prohibition” on Metro and train services in Delhi amid security restrictions imposed for the October 10 protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The case comes amid heightened tensions over the SIR exercise and protests by opposition leaders demanding accountability from the Election Commission. The allegations of voter deletions and electoral-roll irregularities remain at the centre of the pending legal proceedings.