Supreme Court Rejects Plea for SIT Probe into Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Allegations

Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking a special investigation team (SIT) probe into Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of discrepancies in voter lists across multiple elections. A two-judge bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymala Bagchi advised the petitioner to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) instead.

The court made it clear that a writ petition filed in the guise of public interest cannot be entertained, while allowing the petitioner to explore other available legal remedies. The petitioner had argued that the ECI had not taken any action after the matter was submitted, but the apex court refused to intervene.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has repeatedly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government of indulging in “vote chori” and alleged that the election commission has been complicit, charges that the ECI has consistently dismissed, asking him to provide proof. Despite this, Gandhi has remained steadfast, calling vote theft the central issue facing the country.

In his allegations, Gandhi specifically pointed to the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, claiming they were manipulated. He stated, “They stole the elections of Haryana and Maharashtra. We proved that in Karnataka recently. So, the main issue is vote theft. Everywhere people are raising ‘vote chor’ slogans.”

The BJP, however, has rejected Gandhi’s claims, stating that they lack any basis. Party leaders highlighted Congress’s declining performance over the decades, noting that after Rajiv Gandhi’s historic 1984 victory, the party suffered a steady slide, culminating in its worst-ever performance in 2014, winning only 44 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats with a 19.5% vote share.