The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear petitions on October 5 regarding the Election Commission of India chief Gyanesh Kumar, who is facing scrutiny over alleged unilateral decisions related to the revision of voter lists. Reports indicate that the petitions seek Kumar's suspension due to concerns that a nationwide voter-verification exercise, known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), has disenfranchised millions of eligible voters by removing their names from electoral rolls.
Kumar has been criticized following reports that two of his fellow election commissioners raised at least 14 formal objections over a 10-month period concerning voter registrations, deletions, and restorations, which were reportedly not addressed. Kumar leads the three-member commission responsible for overseeing these voter roll revisions.
The Election Commission of India has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the revision process aims to remove deceased, relocated, and duplicate voters while preventing the inclusion of illegal immigrants. Opposition parties and critics claim that the changes to the voter lists favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a claim the party refutes.
On the day of the hearing, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is expected to consider petitions that argue the chief election commissioner cannot make decisions without the agreement of the other two commissioners. One petition seeks to revoke 14 decisions made unilaterally by Kumar and calls for an independent judicial inquiry or a special investigation team led by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the allegations against him.
The hearing follows protests in Delhi and Mumbai over the weekend, where demonstrators, including opposition supporters and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), demanded Kumar's resignation. The CJP, which gained prominence after a successful campaign in July, has announced plans for a protest march at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10.