Gyanesh Kumar In The Crosshairs? Supreme Court To Hear Today 2 Pleas Against CEC’s Functioning, SIR

The Supreme Court is set to consider two petitions challenging the actions of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the legality of the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, will hear the cases. The petitions were filed following a news report alleging that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected to the SIR decisions at least 14 times in the past ten months.

Sandhu and Joshi raised concerns over the integrity of voter-related software and claimed some decisions were made without their knowledge or recommendation. The Election Commission, however, maintains these letters were not policy-related. One petition, filed by Rakesh Kumar Singh, questions whether the CEC can exercise individual powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests superintendence, direction, and control of elections in the Commission, not an individual CEC.

The petitioner seeks a declaration that the SIR and all related actions are invalid from the start, alleging lack of constitutional or statutory authority and improper procedure. The second petition, filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, calls for a high-powered judicial inquiry to investigate alleged constitutional fractures and illegalities within the Election Commission, based on documents published in September 2026.

The hearing coincides with ongoing protests demanding Kumar's removal and a halt to the SIR process.