Supreme Court Hears Petition Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Unilateral Voter Roll Revisions
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant is reviewing petitions against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly bypassing the other two Election Commissioners during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The practice allegedly resulted in millions losing voting rights, triggering nationwide outrage and protest against the election chief. Hearing the case, Justices Bhuyan and former judge Nariman highlighted the scale of deletions, like 90 lakh voters in West Bengal where 93 percent of appeals favored reinstatement, urging protection of constitutional voting rights.
Petitioners demand Kumar’s suspension, quashing of decisions, and an SIT probe, while the Election Commission insists all final calls were unanimous despite reported internal objections.
One of the petitions by Patna resident Rakesh Kumar Singh referred to the alleged differences between CEC Kumar and Sandhu and Joshi and the objections raised by them. The petition pointed out that Article 324(1) of the Constitution does not vest the superintendence, direction and control of elections in an individual Chief Election Commissioner, and it vests those powers in a Commission. The petition urged the court to declare SIR, and all actions, decisions, directions, and measures taken under it, invalid from the very beginning and without legal authority.
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