New Delhi, October 12 (TNA) Opposition INDIA bloc leaders on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, seeking a halt to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and action over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
The petition was filed after a protest march led by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. The INDIA bloc has accused the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar of partisan conduct and alleged that the revision exercise could deprive vulnerable citizens of their voting rights.
SIR under Opposition attack
The Opposition has alleged that voter names were deleted arbitrarily, without adequate notice or effective grievance-redressal mechanisms. It has also questioned changes in instructions issued during the revision process, claiming that they created confusion among voters and election officials.
The petition reportedly highlights alleged wrongful deletions in West Bengal, including around 27 lakh voters listed under the category of “logical discrepancies”. The Opposition has also questioned the Election Commission’s claim that the exercise was needed to identify and remove ineligible voters.
Demand for action against CEC
The INDIA bloc has demanded action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and called for greater transparency in the functioning of the poll panel. Opposition parties have also raised concerns over alleged unilateral decision-making and sought scrutiny of the Election Commission’s electoral-roll revision process.
Earlier, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined to meet the Opposition leaders, advising them to approach the Supreme Court through a formal petition since the issues were already pending before the court.
Earlier proceedings
The Supreme Court had previously issued notices to the Centre, the Election Commission and the concerned election commissioners on petitions challenging decisions related to the SIR. The court, however, declined to pass an interim order suspending CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
A separate petition has also challenged the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner, along with the appointments of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The plea alleges that the procedure prescribed under the 2023 law governing appointments was not followed.