Election Commission tells Supreme Court that electoral roll revision decisions were unanimous

NEW DELHI — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Supreme Court in an affidavit that all decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were taken unanimously by the commission, countering allegations of unilateral action by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The affidavit, filed by Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, comes in response to a writ petition lodged by Rakesh Kumar Singh, which led to a notice from the Supreme Court. The legal challenge stems from an earlier media report by the Indian Express, which claimed that 14 key decisions regarding the SIR process were issued in the commission’s name while election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections.

The controversy has drawn broader political engagement. Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallickार्जुन Kharge, and other members of the INDIA bloc filed separate petitions alleging that CEC Gyanesh Kumar exercised collective powers without the knowledge or consent of the other two election commissioners.

In its court filing, the ECI maintained that the orders issued on June 24, 2025, October 27, 2025, and May 14, 2026, were collective, unanimous decisions of the full commission. Furthermore, the election body denied allegations that it had altered Form 6 through the SIR directives and argued that the current petitions are not maintainable.

The matter originates from petitions filed by Delhi lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi alongside Rakesh Kumar Singh, following the newspaper investigation. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is scheduled to hear the case on October 27.