Delhi Sessions Court Issues Notice To Sonia Gandhi Over Alleged Illegal Electoral Roll Entries

A Delhi Sessions Court has issued a notice to Sonia Gandhi in connection with a revision petition filed against a magistrate's order dismissing a complaint related to her electoral roll entries. The petition alleges that her name was wrongfully included in the electoral rolls before she became an Indian citizen. The court will review documents concerning the entry and subsequent deletion of her name. The next hearing is scheduled for January 6. The case raises questions about the legality of electoral roll entries.

The petitioner argued that "certain documents must have been forged and falsified to get the name in the electoral roll of 1980," pointing out that her name was later deleted and then re-entered in 1983 based on an application filed in January 1983-both events, according to him, preceding her acquisition of citizenship.

Advocate Narang submitted that under the Representation of the People Act, only Indian citizens are eligible to be enrolled as voters. Therefore, he contended that these electoral entries warranted judicial scrutiny.

He also stated that while the original complaint relied on an article containing clips of electoral rolls, the revisionist has now collected attested copies from the Election Commission and placed them on record to support the allegations. After hearing the arguments, Judge Gogne issued notice to both respondents, including Sonia Gandhi.

The prosecutor accepted notice on behalf of the State. The court also directed that the Trial Court Record (TCR) be summoned for a complete evaluation of the issues raised in the revision petition.

The matter is listed for further hearing on January 6, when the Sessions Court will continue examining the challenge to the magistrate's decision to dismiss the complaint at the threshold.

The revision petition arises from a complaint filed by advocate Vikas Tripathi, which the magistrate had rejected at the initial stage on the grounds that it lacked legal basis and relied only on uncertified photocopies of electoral roll extracts from 1980. The magistrate had further noted that matters concerning citizenship and electoral rolls fall solely within the jurisdiction of the Central Government and the Election Commission of India, and cannot be addressed through a criminal complaint.