Supreme Court dismisses petition seeking SIT probe into electoral roll manipulation allegations in Bengaluru

The Supreme Court of India, on October 13, 2025, dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into allegations of electoral roll manipulation, which were raised by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The petition had requested a court-monitored investigation led by a retired judge, targeting electoral discrepancies in Bengaluru Central and other constituencies.

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Court declines to intervene

Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, hearing the case, stated that the petitioner could approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) to pursue the matter further, as the Court was not inclined to intervene. The petitioner’s counsel, advocate Rohit Pandey, had argued that a representation had been made to the ECI, but no action had been taken. However, the Bench advised the petitioner to seek available legal remedies and declined to impose a timeline on the ECI's response.

The petition had also urged the Court to halt the finalisation of electoral rolls until an independent audit was conducted. It cited Rahul Gandhi’s August 7 press conference, where he alleged that over 100,000 "fake votes" were created to ensure a BJP victory. Gandhi's claims included accusations of duplicate voters and misuse of electoral forms.

The Court’s dismissal follows a series of exchanges between Gandhi and election authorities, who demanded further details on the allegations, with warnings of legal consequences for non-compliance.