Delhi court asks Sonia Gandhi to submit written arguments in voter list case

A Delhi court has directed Sonia Gandhi to file written submissions in a criminal revision petition alleging irregularities in her inclusion in electoral rolls.

The Rouse Avenue Court, while listing the matter for further hearing on 16 May, instructed both parties to submit their written arguments within a week.

The case relates to a plea claiming that Gandhi’s name was included in the voter list before she had acquired Indian citizenship, raising allegations of possible fraud. During the hearing, counsel for the complainant concluded oral arguments and sought permission to place additional documents on record, including material obtained from the Election Commission of India. The court allowed the request.

The petition, filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, does not seek an immediate trial but instead calls for a direction to the police to investigate the allegations.

Counsel for the complainant argued that the timing of Gandhi’s alleged inclusion in the electoral rolls raised serious questions, suggesting it may have been based on forged or misleading documentation.

Representing Gandhi, her legal team requested permission to make additional submissions at the next hearing, which the court granted.

The revision plea challenges an earlier order by a magistrate court that had dismissed the complaint seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR). The magistrate had held that courts cannot intervene in matters that fall within the jurisdiction of constitutional authorities, citing Article 329 of the Constitution, which limits judicial interference in electoral issues.

In response to the petition, Gandhi has denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and lacking factual basis. She has argued that issues relating to citizenship fall exclusively under the authority of the central government, while disputes concerning electoral rolls are within the purview of the Election Commission.

Her reply also states that no credible evidence has been produced to substantiate claims of fraud or forgery, calling the proceedings an abuse of the legal process.

The matter has drawn political attention, with the Bharatiya Janata Party raising concerns over alleged voter list irregularities, while the Congress has dismissed the accusations as unfounded and retaliatory.

With IANS inputs