Supreme Court to Hear Plea Suspending Election Chief

The Supreme Court of India agreed on Tuesday to an early listing of a petition seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed that the matter be listed for hearing next week, with the Chief Justice stating, "We will list this next week".

The plea, filed by Rakesh Kumar Singh, alleges that Kumar unilaterally exercised powers that legally belong to the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a multi-member constitutional body. The petition claims Kumar bypassed the mandated collective decision-making process of unanimity or majority required by Article 324 of the Constitution. It cites at least 14 objections raised by other Election Commissioners between October 2025 and August 2026 regarding the centralization of the ECINet digital platform, unauthorized alterations to Form 6 in July 2026, and the filing of appeals in West Bengal without Commission approval.

Parallel to the legal challenge, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the ECI of using the ECINet platform to centralize electoral roll functions, which he claims led to the omission of 21.1 percent of electors from the Maharashtra draft roll. Surjewala described the software as the BJP's most effective "Star Campaigner".

The ECI has defended its processes, asserting that differing views are a normal part of institutional deliberations and that all orders follow statutory procedures. To address concerns, the commission formed a review committee including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT to examine the legal compliance of the ECINet system.