The Madras High Court has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought to compel the Election Commission of India (ECI) to respond to allegations of large-scale electoral roll manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The petition cited claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a PowerPoint presentation and by BJP leader Anurag Thakur at a press conference, asking the court to direct the ECI to issue clarifications.
However, a division bench dismissed the plea as “completely misconceived,” observing that it was based only on “allegations and counter-allegations on certain platforms” without credible supporting material. The judges noted the petition lacked specific details or evidence, making it untenable.
“The PIL is vague and devoid of particulars. The Election Commission cannot be directed to clarify its stance under such circumstances,” the court ruled, imposing a cost of ₹1 lakh on the petitioner, payable to the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority. The bench also clarified that it was not ruling on the substance of the allegations themselves, leaving the ECI free to decide how to proceed.
This dismissal effectively closes the litigation, though the ECI may still independently address or examine the concerns raised about the election process.
The controversy stems from Rahul Gandhi’s earlier accusation at a press conference that the ECI had “colluded” with the BJP to “steal” over one lakh votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bengaluru Central. He presented what he claimed was the outcome of a six-month review by a 40-member team, which flagged duplicate voter entries, fake addresses, invalid photographs, and questionable Form-6 applications.
Following this, BJP MP Anurag Thakur alleged irregularities in voter lists across Rae Bareli, Wayanad, Diamond Harbour, and Kannauj constituencies, demanding the resignations of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Abhishek Banerjee, and Akhilesh Yadav, accusing them of winning their seats through “vote chori.”
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