Supreme Court notice on INDIA bloc’s SIR petition: Key facts

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026.

Bench: Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Notice to: the Election Commission, the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.

Also: notice on pleas by Asaduddin Owaisi and Digvijaya Singh.

Next date for this petition: not stated in the reports.

The petitioners include Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Raut, M A Baby, D Raja, Supriya Sule and others, according to LiveLaw.

The petition, filed on October 12, seeks an independent audit of deletions and modifications in the electoral rolls and an interim suspension of the SIR, according to reports.

It also asks for disclosure of the Election Commission’s files, minutes and notings on disputed SIR decisions, and for the file on its June 24, 2025 decision to launch the SIR, according to LiveLaw and Business Today.

Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Owaisi, asked that the Election Commission’s file noting and records on its SIR decision-making be produced before the next date, according to LiveLaw.

While issuing notice, the Chief Justice said orally that the court would also ask one of the petitioners about his conduct, according to LiveLaw.

The order, uploaded later, says the petition of petitioner number six is entertained on a provisional basis, subject to the petitioner explaining his conduct, according to LiveLaw, which identifies the petitioner as Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and links the remark to his comments about the Chief Justice and judges. The Sentinel says the explanation will be sought at the next hearing. The reports do not carry a response from the petitioner.

Reports also say the court issued notices to Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders on a separate petition seeking restrictions on political protests within court premises, following the October 12 march, and quote the Chief Justice as saying that the court cannot be intimidated by political processions, according to the reports.

Supreme Court of India (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0