The Supreme Court on 5 October refused to pass an interim order suspending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, but issued notice and demanded a response to allegations about the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, heard pleas pressed by senior advocates Vikas Singh and Menaka Guruswamy, along with a connected petition by Rakesh Kumar Singh. The petitioners wanted the CEC suspended, or at least stripped of his powers, while the case is pending.
They argued that important decisions on the revision were taken unilaterally rather than by the full three-member commission. The court said it was not inclined to grant such drastic interim relief at this stage. It did, however, stress that the Election Commission is expected to decide matters unanimously, and where unanimity is impossible, by majority of all three commissioners. The Chief Justice also publicly clarified that the court had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the voter registration form, contradicting an impression created by an Election Commission statement.
That clarification keeps the controversy over changes to the form alive and adds pressure on the poll body. The development follows reports that election commissioners recorded multiple dissents during the revision and that opposition parties are planning a nationwide campaign against the CEC. The Commission and Mr Kumar are now expected to file replies explaining the contested decisions. The hearing is being watched closely because the revision has led to deletions of voters on a very large scale across many states.