Full Breakdown
Protests and Supreme Court Hearing Target Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar Over SIR Roll Revision
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Core Event: Supreme Court Refuses to Suspend CEC Amid Unilateral Decision Allegations
On October 5, the Supreme Court declined to issue an ex-parte interim order suspending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice to the Union, the Election Commission and the three election commissioners—Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—seeking responses to petitions alleging that several Special Intensive Revision (SIR) decisions were taken without the required concurrence of all commissioners.
Background & Context
The SIR, launched last year, aims to purge duplicate and ineligible entries from voter lists. The Election Commission reports that 130 million names have been removed, and in some regions the voter list could shrink by as much as 30 %. Sandhu and Joshi have reportedly objected at least 14 times between October 2025 and August 2026 to decisions they say were made unilaterally by the chief commissioner. Critics contend the process favours Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, while the Commission maintains that all decisions were taken unanimously.
Timeline
- September 26 – The Election Commission said the declaration attached to Form 6 for the SIR was “upheld by the SC,” later clarified by the court as not having approved any modified Form 6.
- October 5 – Supreme Court hearing; interim suspension denied, notice issued.
- Early October – Protests in Mumbai and Delhi; dozens detained at Jantar Mantar and on a bus to Delhi Cantonment police station.
- October 6 (scheduled) – Opposition MPs plan to march to the Election Commission office in Delhi.
Official Statements & Responses
Delhi Police said the complaints of alleged police misconduct were referred to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry.” The Election Commission asserted that “differing views” among commissioners are part of the decision-making process and that all SIR decisions were taken unanimously. Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that the court cannot base an order solely on newspaper reports and reiterated the legal requirement that election-commission decisions be unanimous where possible, otherwise decided by majority.
Criticism & Opposition
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the police of silencing women and alleged that the Election Commission is “stealing votes from the opposition.” Senior Congress figure Mamata Banerjee called for the CEC’s arrest, describing the alleged unilateral actions as a threat to free and fair elections. Senior advocate Ratna Singh, representing petitioners, warned that “we are dealing with a grave situation which can undermine the very basis of our democracy.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the scale of detentions: the BBC notes “hundreds” of protesters detained at Jantar Mantar, while the Indian Express-cited account specifies 17 individuals taken to a police station. The court’s clarification that no modified Form 6 has been approved contrasts with earlier reports suggesting the Supreme Court had upheld the declaration attached to Form 6. Additionally, the Election Commission’s claim of unanimous decisions conflicts with petitioners’ allegation of at least 14 unilateral actions.
What’s Next
The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission and other respondents to file written replies within a week. Opposition parties have scheduled a coordinated march to the Election Commission office on October 6, and further petitions seek a forensic audit of the ECINet and ERONet databases and a possible judicial inquiry into the SIR process.