Supreme Court to Hear Petitions Against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

The Supreme Court of India is set to hear petitions against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding alleged unilateral decisions related to the revision of voter lists. The hearing is scheduled for Monday, October 5. Critics claim that the 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 faced scrutiny following reports that two fellow election commissioners raised formal objections regarding voter registrations and deletions, which were reportedly not addressed. The Election Commission of India has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the process aims to remove deceased, relocated, and duplicate voters while preventing the inclusion of illegal immigrants. Opposition parties allege that the changes to the voter lists favor Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a claim the party denies. The Supreme Court's three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, will consider petitions questioning Kumar's authority to make decisions without the approval of the other two commissioners. One petition seeks to declare that the chief election commissioner cannot act independently, while another calls for the revocation of the decisions made unilaterally and the establishment of an independent inquiry into the allegations against Kumar. This legal scrutiny follows protests in Delhi and Mumbai demanding Kumar's resignation, organized by opposition activists and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). The CJP has announced a protest march to New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on October 10.