Missing pages, Rs 200 fee shortfall: SC flags 14 defects in INDIA bloc plea against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court registry Monday flagged 14 defects in a petition filed by the Rahul Gandhi-led INDIA bloc against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.The registry asked the lawyer who filed the petition to submit a clear copy of the identity card of Congress chief and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, one of the co-petitioners, news agency PTI reported.The registry also flagged illegible or missing pages in the petition. It further pointed out a shortfall of Rs 220 in the court fee.Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut responded to the Supreme Court registry flagging defects in the opposition bloc's petition, saying the INDIA bloc remained determined to hold the constitutional body accountable.Speaking to news agency ANI about the technical discrepancies in the petition, Raut said, "The petition that has been filed mentions that the fee is short by Rs 220, there are several errors, and there are facts about 14 documents mentioned in it. Well, it is possible. We have individual petitions in the names of Rahul Ji, Mallikarjun Kharge Ji, and all other India Bloc leaders. There might be some errors in it, which we will now rectify and repair."Confirming his participation in the legal challenge, Raut said, "Definitely, I am a petitioner. All the parties that were involved in yesterday's protest are all petitioners."On Monday, Rahul and several other opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court to file the petition.The INDIA bloc leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi and joined by thousands of supporters, sought scrutiny of the Election Commission's functioning, measures to prevent CEC Gyanesh Kumar from taking decisions "unilaterally", alleged "arbitrary" voter deletions during SIR, and the system governing the use and deployment of electronic voting machines (EVMs).The petitioners included Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, CPM's M A Baby, CPI's D Raja, JMM's Mahua Majhi, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule and IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer.The opposition leaders sought a suspension of SIR without challenging its legality. They also called for eligible voters to be included in the electoral rolls of Punjab and other poll-bound states.After the CJI declined to meet the opposition delegation, Rahul said, "We respect CJI and SC. We are quite happy he has given us a path forward. To tell us we can file a petition is a path forward."The petition also sought the formation of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and assisted by technical experts and other eminent citizens. The panel would be tasked with conducting an independent audit, within a fixed timeframe, of deletions and changes made to electoral rolls during SIR.The plea further requested the court to set up a panel to "examine integrity of electoral-roll databases and SIR rollout".Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.