Supreme Court to hear plea challenging CEC Gnanesh Kumar's suspension

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions challenging the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gnanesh Kumar and decisions made without the approval of other members of the Election Commission of India.

The matter will come before a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India on Monday. The petitions raise concerns about violations of collective decision-making protocols at the Election Commission, alleging that Kumar made significant administrative decisions unilaterally.

Among the issues flagged in the petitions are changes to the Standardized Instructions and Rules (SIR), modifications to Form 6, and alleged departures from the established practice of seeking consensus among all commissioners before implementing major decisions. The petitioners have contended that such unilateral actions breach the foundational principles governing the functioning of the Election Commission.

The suspension itself has emerged as a point of legal contention, with the petitioners seeking the court's intervention to examine both the propriety of the suspension order and the procedural compliance involved in its issuance. The case touches on critical questions about institutional governance and the proper functioning of one of India's most important constitutional bodies.