सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने CEC ज्ञानेश कुमार के एकतरफ़ा SIR निर्णयों पर सुनवाई के नोटिस जारी, अंतरिम निलंबन को नकारा

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices on petitions challenging alleged unilateral decisions by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar concerning the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but declined to order his suspension at the interim stage.

The court said it would hear the Election Commission and the other respondents before considering an interim order on the pleas seeking Kumar’s suspension.

The petitions come amid massive protests across several parts of the country demanding Kumar’s resignation over concerns about the Election Commission’s functioning and its conduct of the electoral roll revision.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, issued notices to Kumar, the Election Commission, the Union government, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg.

Among the demands raised in one petition was an investigation into the deletion of 13.8 crore voters from electoral rolls across 31 states and Union Territories during the SIR. The same petition sought a declaration that decisions taken by the Election Commission without the concurrence of the election commissioners were illegal.

“We are dealing with a grave situation which can undermine the very basis of our democracy,” the petitioner told the court.

The legal challenges followed a September 23 report by The Indian Express, which said Sandhu and Joshi had recorded formal objections on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months to decisions concerning the SIR. According to the report, the commissioners said some decisions had been made without their knowledge.

The objections covered several issues, including modifications to Form 6, which is used for new voter registration, appeals challenging the inclusion of voters in West Bengal, and the management of voter data in Goa.

In a written objection cited in the report, Sandhu said the Election Commission had proceeded against the advice of both election commissioners, characterising its action as “unauthorised and illegal”.

Sandhu and Joshi also expressed concerns about access to the digital database of electoral rolls.

The Election Commission, however, has dismissed reports of an internal rift, maintaining that differing opinions and observations routinely form part of its deliberative process.

Since its launch in June 2025, the SIR has drawn scrutiny over how it has been carried out and the speed of its implementation. Concerns have centred on the possibility of genuine voters losing their right to vote and the exercise influencing election outcomes.

The Supreme Court upheld the legality of the SIR in May, while making clear that this did not give the Election Commission the authority to determine whether an individual is an Indian citizen.

Despite that ruling, states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party have invoked the SIR to deny ration cards to people whose names were removed from electoral rolls. In some instances, police have also refused permission for their passports to be renewed.

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