Supreme Court Issues Notice to ECI Over SIR Row, No Interim Stay on CEC
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Election Commission and Centre over a plea challenging decisions linked to SIR and voter Form 6, but declined interim relief against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Centre over a petition challenging the way certain decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were taken.
The petitions allege that decisions concerning SIR and changes to voter registration Form 6 were taken without the required consensus among the three election commissioners. The petitioners have questioned whether such decisions complied with the statutory framework governing the poll panel.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant declined to pass an interim order seeking suspension of the Chief Election Commissioner based on the allegations. The court said it would first seek responses from the concerned authorities.
The Election Commission, election commissioners and government have been directed to respond within a week and provide relevant records, including file notings and meeting minutes concerning the decisions under challenge.
The court also indicated that constitutional bodies must operate according to law and that decisions found to be unlawful can be set aside.
The proceedings come amid continuing legal scrutiny of the ECI's SIR exercise, which has already been the subject of Supreme Court proceedings.
