LIVE: Rahul leaves SC after INDIA bloc files petition over SIR, CEC row

Sachin Pilot says CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s exit ‘inevitable’, seeks SC probe into SIR

Congress leader Sachin Pilot said widespread public anger, particularly among the youth, over alleged vote theft showed that the issue had come to light across the country. He said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s departure was inevitable, alleging that irregularities related to the SIR exercise violated the law and the Constitution, and urged the Supreme Court to investigate the matter as the petitioners approached it for relief.

SC likely to hear Rahul Gandhi’s petition against CEC, SIR tomorrow

A petition filed in the Supreme Court on Monday on behalf of Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders, challenging Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over mass voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and seeking judicial intervention in the Election Commission’s functioning, is likely to be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were joined by thousands of supporters in the INDIA bloc’s march to the Supreme Court. The original plan was to submit a memorandum to the CJI. However, after Surya Kant declined to meet them and asked them to approach the court as litigants, the leaders decided to file a formal petition.

As Rahul Gandhi could not reach the Supreme Court before the 4.30 pm deadline, the petition was filed by lawyer S Prasanna.

The Supreme Court registry has been directed to process the petition on Monday and rectify any defects so that it can be listed for hearing on Tuesday.

In his response to the Opposition leaders, the CJI had said that if the petition was filed by Monday evening, it would be heard the following day.

Rahul Gandhi, INDIA bloc leaders reach SC after petition over SIR filed

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders arrive at the Supreme Court after a petition alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is filed.

Delhi Chalo march: Opposition takes SIR, CEC row to Supreme Court

The Congress-led INDIA bloc’s ‘Delhi Chalo’ march brought its confrontation with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls onto the streets of the national capital on Monday. On Capital Beat, constitutional expert and Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde, social activist Tara Rao and senior journalist TK Rajalakshmi examined the political significance of the march, the judiciary’s role in safeguarding democratic rights, and the implications of Delhi Police’s decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Supriya Shrinate calls Jantar Mantar denotification a ‘panic reaction’ by govt

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate accused the Centre of turning Delhi into a “prison”, saying the large turnout at the INDIA bloc’s ‘Chalo Dilli’ march showed that people would not be intimidated into giving up their right to vote or question the government. She called the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site a “panic reaction”, asserting that withdrawing designated protest sites would not stop people from taking to the streets.

Police push back protesters during INDIA bloc march near Barakhamba Road

Police push back protesters near Barakhamba Road as INDIA bloc leaders and supporters march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Delhi Metro reopens 6 stations after closure due to Congress protest

The DMRC on Monday reopened the entry and exit gates of all metro stations across its network after shutting six stations amid security restrictions due to the Congress's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The entry and exit gates of Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road metro stations had remained closed since 6 am.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) earlier extended the closure of the six stations till 5 pm, citing security reasons, after initially scheduling the restrictions to end at 4 pm.

In its latest service update, the DMRC said the entry and exit gates of all stations across the Delhi Metro network were now open. Interchange facilities at all the concerned stations were also available, it added. 

Akhilesh Yadav alleges EC acting at BJP’s behest

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday alleged that the Election Commission is "acting at the behest of the BJP", claiming that many people have multiple entries in the voter list.

Yadav was speaking to reporters at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow before leaving for Delhi to take part in a march to the Supreme Court to submit a petition on alleged "vote chori" and against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"The Election Commission is acting at the behest of the BJP. The BJP gets a vote registered for whosoever it chooses. If you are a BJP member, the Election Commission will register you as a voter. If you are a BJP member, you are considered an Indian citizen. If you are not a BJP member, you are not considered an Indian citizen," Yadav said.

The SP chief claimed that one voter in Azamgarh assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh is mentioned 10 times in the voter list. "If this claim is incorrect, let the Election Commission and the BJP prove us wrong. There are 10 votes for a single individual in the Azamgarh assembly constituency.

"What should we understand about this SIR exercise? One individual will cast one vote, while the BJP will cast the remaining nine, because the BJP knows it has made 10 votes for that person," Yadav said.

Questioning the need for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Yadav asked why was the Election Commission was unable to "rectify" the voter lists despite "spending crores of rupees" on such a "massive exercise" that took up "so much time of officials and political leaders".

Rahul leading 'second freedom struggle', says Revanth Reddy

Describing the fight against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a "second independence struggle" under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday accused the BJP of "dividing society" through the removal of about 13 crore voters.

Addressing the media before joining the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court, where a petition will be filed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on the "vote chori" charge, Reddy alleged that the SIR has endangered the country's democracy. He claimed votes had been deleted since Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014, yet no constitutional authority was speaking out against it.

"Under the leadership of Bhagat Singh, the 'Simon Go Back' campaign led to the country's independence. Today, under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, the 'Gyanesh Go Back' slogan will free the country from the BJP. This is the second independence. We need to save democracy now, else we will never be able to," he said.

Reddy said that with the population at around 140 crore and voters typically making up 70-75 per cent of it, the electorate should have crossed 100 crore.

"Today, total voters are 83-84 crore, excluding the 13 crore removed. How do you justify this? The census was undertaken by the central government. Voters should increase with the increase in population. This is simple maths. Who is going to respond to this?" he said.

INDIA bloc files petition against Election Commission in SC

INDIA bloc leaders' petition against the Election Commission has been filed in the Supreme Court. The petitioners in the case are LoP Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, SP's Akhilesh Yadav, TMC's Saugata Roy and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav.