Today, On 25th February, The Election Commission informed the High Court that it would decide on Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s request for electoral rolls within three months. Earlier, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Surjewala, argued that the EC had not acted on a December 29 request. The plea seeks voter lists for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Haryana and Maharashtra from 2009 to 2024.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court informed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it would make a decision within three months regarding Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala’s representation seeking electoral rolls for elections held in Haryana and Maharashtra from 2009 to 2024.
Justice Jyoti Singh noted the submission from the ECI’s counsel, who explained that due to the historical nature of the request dating back to 2009, an immediate decision was logistically unfeasible, and thus three months was needed.
The court stated,
“Accordingly, this writ petition is disposed of without entering into the merits of the case by taking the stand of the ECI on record that the representation dated December 29, 2024, will be decided as expeditiously as possible and not later than three months from today,”
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Surjewala, pointed out that the ECI had not yet addressed the December 29 representation requesting electoral rolls for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections conducted in Haryana and Maharashtra between 2009 and 2024.
Singhvi noted that on February 24, the ECI sent a letter to the chief electoral officers of the respective states, instructing them to handle the representation in accordance with the law and to issue a speaking order after providing the MP with an opportunity to weigh in if necessary.
However, he highlighted that no specific deadline for this decision was set.
When the court inquired about a precise timeline, the ECI counsel reiterated that a decision would be made as quickly as possible.
Singhvi responded,
“The only reason I mentioned this was because it has taken them two months to reply to say that now we will reply. In two months, they have indicated that they will now take further time to respond. If that is their understanding of time limits as expeditiously as possible, then it might resemble Alice in Wonderland’s time limits.”
Surjewala’s plea emphasized that the ECI is expected to maintain utmost transparency in its operations and be open to verification and accountability concerning the electoral process at any stage before, during, or after elections.
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The plea stated,
“Thus, it is imperative that the Election Commission allows political parties to scrutinize the data collected by the commission over the years to ensure that there are no undiscovered discrepancies within the electoral process,”
Randeep Singh Surjewala is a well-known leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). In 2022, he became a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan. He has held important positions in the Congress party, like General Secretary and head of the Communication Department. He is also active on social media, where he connects with people and shares updates on Instagram.
Recently, on February 25, 2025, the Election Commission of India told the Delhi High Court that it would decide on Surjewala’s request about voter lists in Haryana and Maharashtra within three months. This shows his continued involvement in election and legal matters.