Gyanesh Kumar Refuses to Resign Amid CEC Row
· India · India Today, The Hindu
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to suspend Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and issued notice on petitions challenging his authority to decide for a three-member Commission by himself. The notice was served to the Union, the Election Commission, Kumar, two other Commissioners, and two officers below them. Petitions seek his suspension, a declaration that one man cannot exercise the Commission's powers, and in one, criminal proceedings. A bench of Chief Justice Khanna and Justice Garg said it presumes the decisions are lawful and will annul any that are not, adding Commissioners are expected to decide unanimously and, where they cannot, by majority. The Chief Justice noted a three-member body should not need a bench to be reminded it is still three-member.
Why it matters
Gyanesh Kumar's continued tenure risks further eroding public trust in the Election Commission as a three-member body, especially after millions of voters were disenfranchised due to last-minute deletions from electoral rolls ahead of recent elections. The Supreme Court's intervention underscores institutional checks on a Commission that has become a one-man show.
Read the original report — India Today
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