Supreme Court junks plea for probe into 'vote chori' charge, says approach EC

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into allegations of irregularities and manipulations in electoral rolls levelled by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and asked the petitioner to approach EC for redressal of grievance.

The petitioner's counsel, senior advocate Shashi Kiran, told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that it is not possible to hold free and fair elections , which sustain the foundation of democracy, if the electoral rolls are manipulated. Aware of the political slugfest over Rahul's allegations, SC refrained from commenting on the merits of the issue and asked the petitioner to approach EC. "We are not inclined to entertain this writ petition purportedly filed in public interest. The petitioner, if so advised, may pursue the representation made before EC," the bench said.

Petitioner Rohit Pandey, a practicing advocate in SC, had sought a direction to EC - which has notified that it would soon be conducting a nationwide SIR of electoral rolls - to stop further revision of voters' lists till the allegations made by Rahul have been addressed and discrepancies cured. While seeking transparency, accountability and integrity in the process of voters' list revision, the petitioner borrowed significantly from Rahul's allegations and had sought an SIT probe into irregularities pointed out by him in Karnataka and Maharashtra.