Opposition readies fresh impeachment push against Gyanesh Kumar over SIR report

According to the report, the Congress, the primary Opposition party, is reaching out to its INDIA bloc allies to build consensus on the proposed move.

Opposition seeks fresh motion against Gyanesh Kumar

The latest move comes amid continuing Opposition criticism of the Election Commission's handling of the SIR exercise.

Earlier in April, 73 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha submitted a notice seeking Kumar's removal on the ground of alleged "proven misbehaviour". The notice was moved under Article 324(5) of the Constitution.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said the notice contained nine specific charges against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Earlier notices rejected

Earlier in April, separate notices seeking Kumar's removal were rejected by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

The notices had been submitted in March and cited allegations including "partisan and discriminatory conduct", alleged obstruction of investigations into electoral fraud and "mass disenfranchisement". Both presiding officers subsequently refused to admit the motions.

Under Article 324(5), the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge. The grounds specified are proven misbehaviour or incapacity.

Investigative report on SIR

The controversy follows a report by The Indian Express that detailed differences within the three-member Election Commission involving CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

According to the investigation, Sandhu and Joshi formally raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months to decisions and orders concerning electoral rolls and the SIR. They reportedly said some decisions had been taken without their knowledge.

The objections covered changes to Form 6, access to the electoral-roll database, deletion and restoration of voter names, appeals related to electoral rolls and aspects of the ECI's internal decision-making.

The two Election Commissioners also reportedly raised concerns over what they described as the gradual centralisation of the electoral-roll database.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) at the constituency level have statutory responsibility for preparing and maintaining electoral rolls.

According to the investigation, Joshi called for an audit to ensure that only authorised statutory officials could alter the voter database, while Sandhu recorded complaints from state-level officials that they did not have "proper and complete access" to the relevant systems.

The report also said the two Commissioners separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan over changes in the ECI's work allocation that they felt could further concentrate control over the IT systems handling electoral rolls.

Election Commission rejects claims of internal rift

The Election Commission has disputed the interpretation of the report, saying that written objections, suggestions and differing views are part of its internal deliberative process.

EC sources said all decisions, including those concerning the SIR, were taken with the approval of all three Election Commissioners and were unanimous.