13 October,2026 12:04 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the INDIA bloc would rectify errors flagged by the Supreme Court Registry in its petition challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) functioning, asserting that the Opposition remained determined to hold the poll panel accountable.
Speaking to ANI, Raut acknowledged technical discrepancies in the petition, including a court fee shortfall of Rs 220 and issues relating to supporting documents. The Supreme Court Registry has flagged 14 defects in the plea filed by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA bloc leaders.
"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," Raut said.
Raut confirmed that he was among the petitioners, saying that leaders and parties involved in Monday's protest had joined the legal challenge.
"Definitely, I am a petitioner. All the parties that were involved in yesterday's protest are all petitioners," he said.
The petition challenges aspects of the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raises concerns over alleged irregularities in the exercise of the poll panel's powers.
Explaining the Opposition's demands, Raut called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and alleged that political pressure was influencing the Election Commission's functioning.
"What do we want? We want the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar to resign. We want to stop the scams happening in the Election Commission. We want to stop the political pressure that is being exerted on the Election Commission. We want to stop the ECI. They have deleted the names of 13 crore people, and we want them to restore them," he said.
The allegations concerning electoral-roll deletions and the Commission's functioning remain contested.
Raut said Rahul Gandhi had invited Opposition leaders for tea on Tuesday evening, after which they would discuss their next course of action.
"Rahul Gandhi invited everyone for tea this evening. After that, we will decide the future direction. I won't call it a strategy, but what the future direction is, that will be decided. We are all staying in Delhi, and until the future direction is finalized, we will stay here," he said.
Earlier, Raut accused the Centre of restricting democratic expression by imposing curbs on protest sites such as Jantar Mantar in Delhi. He targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the restrictions were intended to suppress dissent.
"Modi and Shah have become so scared that their bodies tremble and they lose sleep upon hearing the voice of the people. To prevent the protest from happening in Delhi, they have put a ban on Jantar Mantar. Jantar Mantar is closed. This is fear. The soul of democracy was at Jantar Mantar. The government has done the work of choking that democracy and silencing its voice by stopping the movement at Jantar Mantar," Raut said.
He also praised Gandhi for leading Monday's demonstrations and argued that restrictions on protest locations would not prevent public opposition.
"By putting a ban on the locations of the movement, you cannot stop the movements against you," Raut added.
The Supreme Court Registry's objections relate to procedural and documentary deficiencies in the petition and do not constitute a ruling on the merits of the INDIA bloc's allegations.
(With inputs from ANI)
