CEC can be removed only like a Supreme Court judge, ECI tells top court
A common affidavit filed for the EC, CEC Kumar and Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi say that any attempt to restrain the CEC’s functioning is contrary to the 2023 Act; asserts that Form 6 was not amended; West Bengal CEO’s officers filed appeals against inclusions
In a legal affidavit, the Election Commission of India (ECI) stated that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) can only be removed from their position through a process similar to that of a Supreme Court judge, according to the top court. The nearly 250-page document, filed in the Supreme Court on October 26, 2026, also noted that any attempt to restrain the CEC's functioning is contrary to the law.
The affidavit mentioned that a media report on alleged inner frictions and unilateral or authoritarian behavior of the CEC was not considered as evidence in court. Moreover, it claimed that petitions based on such media reports are not maintainable in court.
The ECI, along with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two Election Commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - filed the affidavit. The document highlighted that decisions are vetted at various levels before implementation, with all approvals noted in the official files. The affidavit stated that the multi-member Commission follows the majority rule when there are differences of opinion.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
