A Delhi court on Tuesday took up a petition that alleges forged documents were used to include Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the voter lists, reviving a long-standing line of legal questioning around her electoral eligibility.
The plea, which had earlier been dismissed or stayed at some stage, was brought back before a judge who found sufficient prima facie grounds to let the matter proceed. The complainant has argued that the supporting papers submitted for Gandhi's voter enrolment contain discrepancies and may not be genuine.
Sonia Gandhi, who serves as a key leader of the Indian National Congress and heads the Rahul Gandhi-led opposition front, has faced periodic legal scrutiny over her voter registration since becoming an Indian citizen in 2010 after giving up her Irish citizenship. Her enrolment has previously drawn public debate over which constituency she should belong to and whether the documentation backing her nomination was properly verified.
The case centres on the process through which a person's name is added to the electoral roll under the Representation of the People Act and related election rules. Election officials typically rely on identity and address proofs submitted by applicants, but courts can examine whether such documents were correctly produced or improperly manipulated. Legal experts say that unless the petitioner can produce concrete evidence of forgery, the case remains an allegation rather than a proved offence.
The Delhi court has directed that notices be issued to the relevant election authorities and to Sonia Gandhi herself, allowing all sides to present their arguments before a final decision is taken. The outcome of this proceeding could set a notable precedent for how voter-enrolment disputes involving high-profile politicians are treated in the capital's judicial system.
