Supreme Court rejects PIL seeking SIT probe into Rahul Gandhi’s vote chori allegations
Court directs petitioner to pursue remedies through appropriate channels, declines to entertain public interest litigation
The Supreme Court has dismissed a public interest litigation filed by a lawyer seeking a special investigation team (SIT) probe into alleged electoral anomalies raised by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi concerning voter list discrepancies in multiple elections.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi held that the petitioner should seek remedies through existing legal and electoral mechanisms rather than via PIL. The Court noted that although representations were made to the Election Commission of India (ECI), they were not considered, but such matters fall outside PIL jurisdiction.
The petition alleged large-scale irregularities including duplicate, invalid, and fictitious entries affecting the constitutional guarantee of free and fair elections. Specific claims involved tens of thousands of invalid voters in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency and suspicious voter roll expansions in Maharashtra. The plea invoked several constitutional provisions and sought an independent probe along with directions to the ECI for ensuring transparency and accountability.
The Supreme Court reiterated the recognized constitutional basis of free and fair elections but refused to interfere via public interest litigation, leaving open alternative legal routes.