Sibal seeks CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s removal, asks to annul recent polls
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Photo: IANS
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of taking unilateral decisions in connection with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and called for his removal from office.
Speaking at a press conference, the former Union minister alleged that decisions within the Election Commission had not been taken collectively and claimed that Kumar had acted without the concurrence of the other two commissioners.
Sibal referred to an Election Commission statement issued on Saturday and claimed that it indicated that decisions had not been unanimous over the past several months. He alleged that Commission meetings were held without proper agendas being circulated and that minutes were not recorded, preventing the other commissioners from examining or commenting on decisions, The New Indian Express reported.
He said the alleged practices had continued for around 10 months, covering the period from the Bihar Assembly elections in June 2025 to the West Bengal polls in April 2026.
Sibal also raised questions over the functioning of ECI NET, alleging that decisions relating to the addition and deletion of voters had been centralised in Delhi under Seema Khanna, who oversaw its operations. He claimed this process bypassed the statutory role of Electoral Registration Officers.
The former minister demanded that an FIR be registered against Khanna and that she be arrested, arguing that she did not enjoy the statutory immunity from criminal prosecution that he alleged had been granted to the CEC under a law introduced by the Modi government.
Sibal further alleged that changes to Form 6, requiring applicants to provide details of a parent or grandparent, had been introduced without the necessary notification from the Centre.
Claiming that electoral procedures had been violated during the period covering the Bihar to West Bengal elections, Sibal argued that the elections conducted during those 10 months were legally questionable.
He urged the Supreme Court to examine the Election Commission’s records, dissent notes and orders that he alleged were issued unilaterally. Sibal also called on the court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and consider whether recently conducted elections should be annulled.
The controversy comes amid growing Opposition demands for Kumar’s removal and an independent examination of decisions taken by the Election Commission and changes made to electoral rolls during his tenure.