Supreme Court Declines Interim Stay on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Issues Notice to ECI

The Supreme Court of India on Monday declined to issue an interim order to suspend Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, however, issued notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Central Government, and the other two election commissioners, seeking their responses to a plea challenging Kumar's appointment and decisions. The court stated that any decisions proven to be unlawful would be annulled.

The plea before the apex court alleges that CEC Gyanesh Kumar made unilateral decisions, particularly concerning the modification of Form 6, which is used for including names in the electoral list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Concurrently, INDIA bloc MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, marched towards the ECI office in Delhi, demanding Kumar's resignation and accusing the government of electoral manipulation and voter list irregularities. Police barricaded routes to the ECI, preventing the protestors from reaching the office.