CEC Gyanesh Kumar latest news: The pressure on the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, has mounted with the INDIA bloc MPs making plans to stage a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission building in New Delhi on October 6.
Protest march against CEC Gyanesh Kumar: What are people protesting about?
The issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that may wrongfully delete valid voters has been the focus of the protests. Opposition parties and student organizations have charged the Election Commission with compromising the principles of the electoral process. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied any wrongdoings on their part.
The issue has been simmering for some time now with protests at Jantar Mantar resulting in detentions with more than 120 people arrested on October 4, as per Hindustan Times. The Delhi Police maintains that the protesters had no permit for their protests and that minimal force was used.
DemocraX has already discussed the 14 internal challenges related to Gyanesh Kumar, SIR, and electoral rolls, and that sets the context for this controversy.
Supreme Court, SIR, and Gyanesh Kumar
This controversy has even made its way to the Supreme Court. The petition challenges the validity of certain decisions made by the EC and alleges that these decisions have not been made following the proper collective decision-making procedure. DemocraX has discussed this case in its article on the Supreme Court petition relating to Gyanesh Kumar and SIR.
But, the protests have sparked another controversy. Three women journalists who were reporting on the protest against the CEC have raised allegations of sexual harassment against Delhi Police.
This unrest has also spread outside of Delhi. Opposition groups have scheduled more rallies, among which is one on October 7 in Bihar, and a rally has also been planned for October 10 at Jantar Mantar if Kumar does not step down.
For updates, readers may refer to The Indian Express’ latest story about the anti-CEC rallies and Reuters’ story about the security arrangement in Delhi and CEC controversy.
For now, the central question remains unresolved: whether the allegations surrounding SIR withstand legal and institutional scrutiny, and how the Election Commission responds as political and public pressure grows.
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