India Top Court to Hear Petitions Against CEC Kumar — SkimNews
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- India's Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions Monday (October 5) seeking suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter-verification drive, which critics say has disenfranchised millions by striking eligible voters from electoral rolls.
- The Election Commission of India rejects the allegations and says the SIR process clears duplicate, deceased, and relocated entries while preventing inclusion of "foreign illegal immigrants."
- The Indian Express reported that two of Kumar's fellow election commissioners raised at least 14 formal objections over 10 months on voter registrations, deletions, restorations, and control of electoral roll data — concerns that were not taken into consideration.
- Opposition parties allege the voter list changes benefit PM Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a charge the BJP denies; Kumar has not commented on the allegations.
- A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will hear the petitions, including one seeking a declaration that the CEC cannot decide for the ECI without concurrence from the other two commissioners, and another seeking revocation of 14 reportedly unilateral decisions plus a judicial inquiry.
- Thousands of protesters rallied in Delhi and Mumbai over the weekend demanding Kumar's resignation, and the Gen-Z-led Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) announced a march to Jantar Mantar on October 10.
Why it matters: The hearing puts the integrity of India's election commission under judicial scrutiny, with opposition parties alleging voter roll revisions benefit PM Modi's BJP. The case tests whether a CEC can act unilaterally on voter eligibility decisions when two fellow commissioners had already logged 14 formal objections that went unaddressed.
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