The petition joins a batch of legal challenges filed by opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, alleging procedural irregularities and demanding judicial oversight over voter deletions. AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi moved the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday to challenge the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police arrested three activists affiliated with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on October 13 for attempting to assemble at the de-notified Jantar Mantar protest site.
Defending public demonstrations against the exercise, Owaisi remarked, “The Supreme Court itself has said that protesting is a fundamental right. Speaking on the legal challenge, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi demanded the immediate discontinuation of the nationwide SIR exercise and called for repealing the current appointment law governing Election Commissioners. Owaisi argued that granting legal immunity to top election officials undermines the independence and credibility of the poll body. People will protest, and they should protest. If you shut down Delhi, will you be able to shut down people’s minds? The legal dispute in the apex court coincides with ongoing street demonstrations in the national capital.
Opposition demands independent audit and retired judge panel
Petitioners questioned the unilateral exercise of authority by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), arguing that major decisions concerning electoral rolls must operate under a multi-member constitutional framework pursuant to Article 324 and the Chief Election Commissioner Act, 2023. The collective opposition petition seeks the constitution of a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the implementation of the SIR exercise, alongside an independent technical audit of the ECINET and ERONET voter databases.
