SC refuses to entertain plea for SIT probe into Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ allegations in Karnataka

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a retired judge, to investigate Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls in Karnataka ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi declined to entertain the plea, observing that the petitioner was free to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) for appropriate remedies. “We have heard the petitioner’s counsel. We are not inclined to entertain this petition, which purports to be filed in public interest. The petitioner may pursue the matter before the ECI, if so advised,” the Bench said.

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The petition, filed by advocate and Congress member Rohit Pandey, was based on Rahul Gandhi’s August 7 press conference, during which the Congress leader launched his ‘Vote Chori’ (vote theft) campaign, accusing the BJP of allegedly tampering with voter rolls in Mahadevapura constituency. Gandhi had alleged that names of genuine voters were deleted and replaced with bogus entries, resulting in large-scale manipulation.

Pandey urged the Court to direct the ECI to frame binding guidelines ensuring transparency and accountability in the preparation, revision, and publication of electoral rolls. The plea also sought an independent audit of the existing rolls and requested that no further revision or finalisation take place until such an audit was completed.

According to the petition, Gandhi’s remarks revealed a “systematic dilution of genuine votes” through duplication, fictitious entries, and addresses linked to non-existent or commercial premises. “Independent citizen verification reportedly confirmed several bogus and duplicate names,” it added.

The petitioner said that after independently verifying available public data, he found prima facie evidence indicating a systemic attempt to dilute and distort the value of lawful votes. He contended that such manipulation, if true, struck at the heart of the constitutional principle of ‘one person, one vote’ enshrined under Articles 325 and 326 of the Constitution.

The ‘Vote Chori’ campaign, unveiled by Gandhi in August, accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to facilitate large-scale voter fraud during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, thereby necessitating urgent intervention of the Supreme Court.