Story perspectives

Opposition Files Supreme Court Petition Demanding Election Commissioner Resign

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Opposition leaders filed a Supreme Court petition demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation on October 15, 2026.
Opposition supporters marched in New Delhi on October 15, 2026.
About 40,000 security personnel were deployed in Delhi for the protests.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accused Congress and allies of seeking Bangladesh-style regime change.
Police detained several protesters at Jantar Mantar, prompting opposition leaders to label the arrests cowardly.

History

Historical Context

In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to expand VVPAT checks for 20,625 EVMs, while about 2.27 million police and paramilitary troops secured polling for 912 million voters, the largest democratic exercise then. That judicial and security precedent underlies the 15 October 2026 petition to remove Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, which Home Minister Rajnath Singh framed as a warning against Bangladesh-style regime change.

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Story summary

Opposition leaders filed a Supreme Court petition demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation on October 15, 2026.
Opposition supporters marched in New Delhi on October 15, 2026.
About 40,000 security personnel were deployed in Delhi for the protests.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accused Congress and allies of seeking Bangladesh-style regime change.
Police detained several protesters at Jantar Mantar, prompting opposition leaders to label the arrests cowardly.

1 / 2