The Sessions Court at Rouse Avenue on Tuesday issued a notice to Sonia Gandhi while hearing a revision petition against a Magistrate’s order that had dismissed a complaint about her alleged wrongful inclusion in the 1980–81 electoral rolls. Sessions Judge Vishal Gogne passed the direction after hearing initial arguments from the revisionist’s side.

Senior Advocate Pavan Narang, representing revisionist Vikas Tripathi, argued that the issue deserved reconsideration because the records showed serious irregularities in how Sonia Gandhi’s name entered the electoral roll before she became an Indian citizen. He contended that some documents may have been forged to include her name in the 1980 rolls and noted that her name was later removed and reinserted in 1983 based on an application filed before she obtained citizenship.

Narang submitted that only Indian citizens can legally be added to the electoral roll under the Representation of the People Act, making the entries questionable. He added that while the initial complaint relied on a news article with photocopies of the rolls, the revisionist has since obtained certified copies from the Election Commission to support the claim. After reviewing the arguments, Judge Gogne issued notices to both respondents, including Sonia Gandhi, and the State accepted notice through the prosecutor. The Court also directed that the Trial Court Record be summoned for a full review. The matter will be heard again on January 6.

The revision petition challenges the Magistrate’s earlier decision to reject Vikas Tripathi’s complaint at the outset, citing lack of legal basis and reliance on uncertified electoral documents from 1980. The Magistrate had also held that issues of citizenship and voter rolls fall solely under the jurisdiction of the Central Government and the Election Commission, not criminal courts.