Supreme Court to hear petitions demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR controversy
The Supreme Court will hear petitions on Oct 5 seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid a dispute over the special intensive revision exercise.
On Monday, October 5, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on public-interest litigations that call for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The cases, filed by Patna resident Rakesh Kumar Singh and advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, claim Kumar has taken actions—such as altering Form 6, centralising ERONet controls, and deleting voter appeals in West Bengal—without the approval of the two other Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The petitions argue these moves breach the statutory requirement for collective decision-making and seek an order suspending Kumar’s powers until the matter is resolved, as well as criminal charges for alleged breach of duty. A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana will hear the arguments. The Election Commission maintains that all decisions were unanimous and approved by the full commission. The outcome could affect the conduct of the ongoing special intensive revision exercise and broader electoral administration.
Why it matters
The ruling could reshape how India's election chief exercises authority, influencing the credibility of upcoming polls.
How this story developed
- Sep 23 Election Commission denies internal dissent, says all decisions were unanimous
- Sep 23 Congress senior filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to intervene and summon the Election Commission members.
- Sep 25 A Supreme Court petition seeking criminal prosecution of the chief election commissioner was filed.
- Sep 26 The Election Commission announced that Booth Level Officers will visit voters flagged in the SIR to collect supporting documents, with online hearings and additional help desks to be established.
- Sep 27 Opposition parties announced nationwide rallies and a parliamentary motion to force the CEC’s resignation following the removal of over 130 million voter names.
- Oct 2 The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition questioning the Election Commission’s decision‑making next week.
In this story
Related stories
40 in this thread