Delhi’s judicial corridors are set to buzz this Saturday with a pivotal hearing on a petition targeting Sonia Gandhi for purportedly fraudulent addition to the voter rolls pre-citizenship. Advocate Vikas Tripathi’s filing disputes Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia’s September 11, 2025, dismissal of demands for a police FIR over her 1980 listing in New Delhi’s voter list—predating her April 1983 citizenship by years.
Central to the argument is the impossibility of lawful registration without genuine papers, branding it a forgery-laden cognizable crime. The petition documents a 1982 deletion and 1983 reinstatement, questioning the original entry’s legal standing.
On December 9, 2025, Special Judge Vishal Gogne at Rouse Avenue Court accepted the revision petition, directing notices to Gandhi and Delhi Police while scheduling further proceedings. The magistrate had previously invoked Article 329 to avoid encroaching on constitutional domains like elections.
Gandhi countered by decrying the petition as a politically orchestrated smear, unsupported by solid evidence. Her affidavit clarified jurisdictional boundaries—citizenship with the Centre, voter disputes with the Election Commission—and highlighted the lack of substantiating documents for fraud claims.
This case arrives at a time when electoral transparency is under the microscope. The Saturday session promises rigorous legal arguments, potential document disclosures, and a verdict that might set precedents for similar high-stakes challenges. It reflects persistent tensions between political legacy and legal scrutiny in India’s vibrant democracy.