India Bloc Leaders’ Petition Faces Registry Deficiencies, Hearing Postponed

On 13 October, the Supreme Court announced that the petition filed by Rahul Gandhi and ten other leaders of the India bloc will not be heard, as it was omitted from the supplementary list. The court’s registry highlighted fourteen deficiencies that must be corrected before the matter can be listed. The shortcomings comprise technical errors such as incorrectly naming defendants, failing to attach a copy of an earlier judgment, and lacking signed powers of attorney for nine petitioners. Further problems involve a blurred copy of Mallikarjun Kharge’s ID card and a shortfall of ₹220 in the court fee.

The petition, registered on 12 October at 4:37 pm, alleges violations by the Election Commission of India. Four respondents – the Commission itself and officials Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – were named. The filing was a joint effort by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sougath Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Sanjay Rout, M.A. Baby, D. Raja, Mahua Mazhi, Supriya SULE and E.T. Mohammad Bashir, with legal counsel provided by Advocate Prasanna S.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has invited all members of Parliament to a tea‑meeting at his house the following day, scheduled after a combined press conference of the India bloc. The informal gathering is expected to serve as a forum for discussing the next phase of the fight against the Election Commission.