New Delhi, Oct 12: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders have moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the exercise.

The writ petition, filed on Monday, names the ECI and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar among the respondents.

According to the case status reflected on the apex court’s website, the petition was filed on October 12 under diary number 64196/2026 and is currently pending.

It lists Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, CPI leader D. Raja, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Mahua Majhi, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Indian Union Muslim League leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer as petitioners.

The respondents include the Election Commission of India, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi.

The development comes amid an escalating confrontation between the Opposition and the poll body over the SIR exercise, with INDIA bloc leaders alleging that the revision process threatens electoral fairness and could result in the exclusion of eligible voters from electoral rolls.

Earlier on Monday, Gandhi said Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant had advised Opposition leaders to approach the Supreme Court through a formal petition after they sought an appointment to raise their concerns over the SIR exercise.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi said he and Kharge had written to the CJI expressing concern over electoral fairness and “attack on democracy”. He announced that INDIA bloc leaders would jointly approach the apex court to initiate legal proceedings and appealed to citizens to join their campaign in support of the Constitution and democracy.

The Opposition leaders had also begun a protest march towards the Supreme Court, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the INDIA bloc, accusing it of turning the SIR controversy into a political spectacle.

BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan, speaking to media, dismissed the Opposition’s allegations and said the Supreme Court had already ruled on the constitutional validity of the SIR exercise. “This is baseless… They are lying. The Supreme Court has already ruled on the constitutionality of SIR,” he said.

Paswan further alleged that the Congress was losing elections across the country, including those conducted using ballot papers, and cited local elections in Silchar in Assam, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh to support his argument.

New Delhi, Oct 12: After Jantar Mantar was de-notified as the designated protest site, Opposition leaders expressed their anguish on Monday, saying that they will not accept the decision as it was arbitrary and that in a democracy, people decide where they can protest.

They added that the government can change the protest site but can’t reduce people’s anger.

Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Manish Tewari said, “We want to submit a representation to the Honorable Supreme Court. Therefore, the entire Opposition is collectively going to Barakhamba Road. Let’s see where it goes from here.”

Tewari added, “The norm is that the protests and demonstrations take place in Boat Club. People come there. You may change the designated venues for demonstrations, but you cannot reduce people’s anger.”

All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba said, “How can they end it, and who has decided this? In a democracy, who decides when something will begin or end, where people can go and where they cannot? Democracy will decide this.”

“The entire land of India is free for people to raise their voices against injustice and oppression. Our Constitution has given us this freedom. The entire country remains firm on the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, and it will happen,” she added.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, “I would urge the government not to hold it here either. They should find a place outside the country, because according to them, we are not even citizens of this country. So, they should find a place in Bangladesh, China, or somewhere else and go there to hold it. Why go to such lengths here?”

Congress leader and Haryana LoP Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the denotification of Jantar Mantar as the designated protest site showed that the government is scared.

“They want to suppress the voice of the people,” he added.

Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Now, we will protest on the top of the Himalayas”

Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi said, “They will gradually say you cannot come to Delhi, as if Delhi is their father’s property”

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, “Whatever the party says will happen”

According to a previous circular by the Delhi Police, Jantar Mantar has been de-notified as the “designated” protesting site. The decision was taken based on the recommendations of a Home Ministry committee.

“Three new locations in Delhi — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and East Delhi’s CBD Ground — have been designated for protests”, the official notification read.

New Delhi, Oct 12: BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday launched a sharp attack on Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making “baseless” allegations against constitutional institutions and attempting to “create political instability” amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi lacked a proper understanding of facts, rules and laws and was instead focused on creating disorder and questioning constitutional authorities.

“Rahul Gandhi may be the Leader of the Opposition, but he is a leader who knows neither the facts nor the arguments, rules, regulations or laws. He only knows how to spread anarchy, create instability, undermine constitutional offices and institutions, and tarnish India’s image across the world,” Thakur said.

The BJP MP also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s repeated allegations of “vote theft”, claiming that the Congress leader was effectively challenging the people’s mandate without presenting sufficient evidence to support his claims.

“Rahul Gandhi keeps talking about ‘vote theft’, but in reality, he is challenging the public’s mandate. He makes baseless claims. He is a leader dealing in empty rhetoric. His entire political agenda is built on hollow statements, baseless accusations, meaningless actions, protests, facts… Ground reality is that there is nothing substantial in his statements. He repeatedly makes allegations and then goes to court and apologises. That is his track record,” Thakur said.

He further accused the Congress leader of making the Election Commission of India (ECI), electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) a “scapegoat to target” whenever the party suffers electoral defeats, instead of accepting the outcome of elections.

“Rahul ji, the country doesn’t need noise, allegations or political statements, but truth, evidence, and clear answers,” he added.

Referring to the INDIA bloc’s efforts to raise its concerns over the SIR exercise before the judiciary, Thakur questioned the opposition’s attempt to seek a discussion with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) while the matter was sub judice.

“How can he seek a discussion with the CJI if this SIR issue is sub judice? The CJI made it clear that he should file a petition,” Thakur said.

“You know that Rahul Gandhi has faced setbacks in court several times in the past and has apologised. Now he thinks that if he goes out on the streets and repeatedly tells lies, people will start believing them to be true. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have a very clear strategy: if they cannot rule, they will spread anarchy,” he added.

Thakur maintained that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had the right to raise their concerns and approach the judiciary, but accused them of behaving as though they were above established constitutional procedures and institutions.

“The people of the country have every right to present their case before the court. Rahul Gandhi, you too have every right to present your views. But Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party consider themselves an extra-constitutional body,” he said.

The BJP leader also challenged the Congress to make public the evidence it had claimed to possess in support of its allegations against the Election Commission, insisting that criticism of constitutional institutions must be backed by verifiable facts.

“There might be allegations against the ECI, but where is the evidence? Rahul Gandhi had said that he would present the evidence, but it is still not made public… Disagreement is fine, but if allegations are made against the Constitutional institutions, then there must be evidence,” he added.

“The responsibility lies not only with the government but also with the LoP,” he added.

This comes amid the Congress-led INDIA Bloc’s march towards the Supreme Court, seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Opposition leaders have alleged irregularities in the revision exercise and raised concerns over the electoral rolls, while the BJP has defended the process and accused the Congress of politicising the issue.

The INDIA Bloc leaders had also sought an appointment with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant to discuss their concerns. However, the CJI declined their request and advised them to approach the court through a petition in accordance with the established legal procedure.

Following this, a bus carrying Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA Bloc leaders departed from the Constitution Club of India towards the Supreme Court.