- The petition does not challenge the ECI's power to hold the SIR, which the court upheld in May, but how it was carried out.
- The plea was tagged with other pending SIR cases; the lead case is titled Rahul Gandhi v Election Commission of India.
- The bench said notice did not condone leaders' conduct during the 12 October march, and it would question one petitioner next hearing.
On 15 October 2026, CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the ECI, CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi on a petition led by Rahul Gandhi. The INDIA bloc leaders seek files, minutes and commissioners' objections on the SIR, access logs for the ECINET and ERONET voter databases, an independent audit of deletions, booth-wise lists of deleted voters with reasons, and a way to restore wrongly deleted names. The court also issued notice on the Form 6 change.
Claim by claim
The CEC acted in a unilateral and arbitrary manner during the SIR.
Said by INDIA bloc petitionersThe ECI says its SIR decisions were unanimous; two Commissioners' notes, reported by The Indian Express, say some decisions were taken without their knowledge. The court has not ruled.
The Hindu · Press Information Bureau (Election Commission)The petition does not seek to reopen whether the ECI has the authority to conduct the SIR.
Reported by The Times of India from the petition's prayers.
The Times of IndiaWhat each side says
Represented by Kapil Sibal and A.M. Singhvi, they allege decisions were taken without collective deliberation and eligible voters were excluded without safeguards.
The Times of India · The HinduIn its 26 September note, the ECI said the SIR order was passed unanimously and upheld by the Supreme Court on 27 May 2026. It had not filed a reply to this petition yet.
Press Information Bureau (Election Commission)Not yet known
- ?When the ECI and the commissioners will file their replies.
- ?Whether the court will order disclosure of the commissioners' internal notes.
Sources
3 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.
- The Times of IndiaSupreme Court issues notice on SIR petition, seeks records of EC decision-making
- The Hindu'Enlighten us' on the prohibitory orders, preserve all CCTV footage: Supreme Court directs Centre, police
- Press Information Bureau (Election Commission)The meeting of the Commission was held today i.e. 26.09.2026 at 3:00 PM. The following decisions were taken in the meeting
Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.