‘Take it up with ECI’: SC declines PIL seeking SIT probe into Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ allegations

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to admit a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into allegations raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding large-scale electoral roll manipulation in Karnataka.

A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi advised the petitioner to take the issue up with the Election Commission of India (ECI). "We have heard the petitioner's counsel. We are not inclined to entertain the petition, which is purportedly filed in public interest. The petitioner may pursue before ECI, if so advised," the court stated.

The PIL was filed by advocate and Congress member Rohit Pandey, following claims made by Rahul Gandhi during an August 7 press briefing. Gandhi had alleged manipulation of the voter list in Bengaluru Central, specifically in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment.

Relying on those allegations, the plea sought the formation of an SIT led by a retired judge to investigate the matter. It also called for the Supreme Court to issue binding instructions to the Election Commission to uphold transparency, integrity and accountability in compiling electoral rolls.

It requested the court to halt any further revisions or finalisations of the electoral rolls until an independent audit is completed in accordance with judicial directives. The petition also pushed for the publication of voter lists in accessible, machine-readable and OCR-compliant formats to enable broader scrutiny and validation.

Citing the press conference by the Leader of Opposition, the petition noted: “Upon coming across credible revelations, including a press conference dated August 7, 2025 by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleging large-scale manipulation of genuine voters' names, and inclusion of fictitious entries in the electoral rolls of the Mahadevapura Assembly Constituency (falling within the Bengaluru Central Parliamentary Constituency), the petitioner became gravely concerned, as such actions, if true, strike at the core of the ‘one person, one vote’ principle enshrined under Articles 325 and 326 of the Constitution.”

The plea also claimed that “the material disclosed in the press conference includes extracts from the electoral roll, showing identical names in multiple polling parts; and entries linked to non-existent or commercial addresses and other forms of manipulation. Independent citizen verification reportedly confirmed the bogus and duplicate entries.”

According to the petitioner, verification using publicly available government data supported the claims and suggested a systemic attempt to undermine the legitimacy of lawful votes, warranting urgent judicial oversight.

ANI