Mon Oct 13 09:36:39 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Supreme Court Dismisses Petition Seeking Probe into Electoral Roll Manipulation Allegations**

**NEW DELHI – October 13, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India today dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored investigation into allegations of electoral roll manipulation made by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The bench, comprised of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, stated they were “not inclined to entertain the petition” and advised the petitioner to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) if he wished to pursue the matter further.

The PIL stemmed from a press conference held by Mr. Gandhi on August 7th, where he alleged a “huge criminal fraud” in the electoral process in Bengaluru Central, specifically in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment. He claimed 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created through various methods, including duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and the misuse of Form 6.

Advocate Rohit Pandey, representing the petitioner, argued that the alleged irregularities undermine the Constitution’s guarantee of free and fair elections. He presented that a representation was already made to the ECI, which had not been acted upon, and urged the court to halt further revisions of electoral rolls pending an independent audit. The petition also sought the publication of electoral rolls in accessible formats for public scrutiny.

The court declined to intervene or prescribe a timeline for the ECI to respond to the representation. The Chief Electoral Officers of Karnataka and Maharashtra had previously requested Mr. Gandhi to provide details and an affidavit regarding his claims, which was followed by a warning from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar that failure to do so within seven days would render his claims baseless.

The petition also cited discrepancies in other states, such as Maharashtra, where a significant increase in new voters was observed between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the upcoming Assembly polls. Ultimately, the petition called for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to probe the allegations of electoral roll manipulation. However, the Supreme Court rejected the plea, leaving the matter to be addressed by the ECI.

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