The Supreme Court has said Sanjay Raut will have to explain his conduct while issuing notices to the Election Commission and its chief, Gyanesh Kumar over a plea by the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and 12 others, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, over SIR irregularities.
Raut is among the 13 petitioners in the plea filed by Gandhi.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Thursday made clear that it was entertaining provisionally the plea on behalf of Raut, subject to him explaining his conduct.
"In WP (C) No 1351/2026 (Item 25, filed by Gandhi), the petition on behalf of petitioner no. 6 (Raut) is entertained on a provisional basis, subject to his explaining his conduct," the bench said in its order.
During the hearing, the CJI, without naming anyone, had said, "We will ask one of the petitioners about his conduct on the next date of hearing".
The CJI had also used tough words when some lawyers alleged that Gandhi and other opposition leaders, who marched to the top court on October 12, have been trying to browbeat the judiciary.
"Nobody can browbeat us (judiciary)," the CJI had said, adding, "We are not sitting in ivory towers. We know what statements they are making outside and what they are saying in court. We know everything".
Recently, Raut reportedly criticised the CJI for refusing to meet Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over the issue pertaining to the Election Commission.
The top court directed the poll panel, CEC and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to respond to the plea filed by Gandhi and 12 other opposition leaders.
The plea has sought the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired apex court judge and assisted by technical experts and other citizens of eminence, to conduct within a fixed time an independent audit of deletions and modifications made during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
(With inputs from PTI)
