‘Dictatorial’: ex-bureaucrats demand Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
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New Delhi: A group of 74 former bureaucrats has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging serious irregularities in the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to Scroll.
In an open letter, the Constitutional Conduct Group accused Kumar of undermining constitutional procedures and alleged that the Election Commission’s functioning had become increasingly authoritarian under his leadership. The group reiterated its demand that the SIR exercise be scrapped, arguing that its implementation could exclude genuine voters from the electoral rolls.
The demand follows reports of internal disagreements within the three-member Election Commission. An investigation by The Indian Express found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected on 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions concerning the SIR and other electoral processes. Their concerns reportedly included changes to Form 6, voter inclusion appeals in West Bengal, and access to digital electoral roll data.
The former officials alleged that the SIR was introduced without adequate consultation and that its procedures were unnecessarily complicated, creating difficulties for voters seeking to establish their eligibility. They claimed that the exercise could potentially affect 15% to 16% of the electorate, particularly minorities, marginalised communities and elderly voters. These figures are allegations made by the group and have not been independently established.
The group also called for changes to the 2023 law governing the appointment of election commissioners, arguing that the selection mechanism should be made more independent. It sought the removal of the legal immunity currently available to serving and former commissioners for actions undertaken in their official capacity.
The former bureaucrats also criticised Sandhu and Joshi, saying that raising objections internally was insufficient while the SIR continued across states. They urged the Election Commission to retain existing Electors Photo Identity Cards except where corrections were necessary.
The Supreme Court had earlier upheld the legality of the SIR while clarifying that the Election Commission cannot determine Indian citizenship through the revision process.