A petition filed by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and others seeks an independent audit of India's sweeping voter deletions. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear this petition on Thursday, October 15. The petition, named "Rahul Gandhi and others versus Election Commission of India and others," was filed after a protest march led by Gandhi, which included members of the opposition INDIA bloc, student leaders, activists, and civil society, through a heavily barricaded area of the capital. The protest aimed to call for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter roll manipulation to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Election Commission has rejected these allegations, stating that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process aims to remove deceased, relocated, and duplicate voters, and to prevent the inclusion of foreign illegal immigrants. Modi's party has dismissed the protests as attempts to create anarchy. Gandhi's petition seeks an interim suspension of the nationwide revision of voter rolls, along with an audit of voter deletions and safeguards against deletions without prior notice.
In other news, Bollywood actor Imran Khan has reportedly been ordered to leave India after participating in a protest against the Election Commission. Khan, a US national, was detained during the protest and has been issued a notice to leave the country by October 28 for allegedly violating immigration provisions.
Additionally, three Indian nationals died in a fire at an apartment building in Bochum, Germany. The Indian Embassy in Berlin confirmed the deaths of two women and one man, all of whom were students. Authorities are investigating the fire, which is suspected to be arson, and a resident has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is currently visiting the United Arab Emirates, where he has met with Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss bilateral and global issues. Jaishankar's visit includes participation in the Raisina Middle East forum, where he emphasized the need for reform in multilateralism.