The Supreme Court has decided to seek responses from the Election Commission and other respondents before passing an interim order on petitions questioning Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's decisions regarding the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
On Monday, the Supreme Court delayed its decision to pass an interim order on petitions seeking the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The court will first seek responses from the Election Commission and other respondents, including the Union government, election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg. This development comes after petitions were filed in the Supreme Court following reports that Sandhu and Joshi had formally objected 14 times in 10 months to decisions by the poll panel related to SIR, claiming some decisions were taken without their knowledge.
The objections were reportedly related to changes to Form 6, used to register new voters, appeals against the inclusion of voters in West Bengal, and handling of voter data in Goa, among other matters. In one written objection, Sandhu was quoted as stating that the poll body had acted against the advice of both commissioners and described the action as ‘unauthorised and illegal.’
The Election Commission has rejected reports of a rift, saying differences in views and observations are a normal part of its deliberations. One of the petitions in the Supreme Court seeks that all decisions taken by the poll panel not in concurrence with the election commissioners should be declared illegal.
It also seeks an investigation into the deletion of 13.8 crore voters from the electoral rolls of 31 states and Union Territories during SIR, as reported by Bar and Bench. ‘We are dealing with a grave situation which can undermine the very basis of our democracy,’ the petitioner told the court.
The Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to Kumar, the poll panel, the Union government, Sandhu, Joshi, and Garg.
Source:
Scroll.in
