Supreme Court takes up a plea asking whether CEC Gyanesh Kumar can act alone. Congress keeps up its street protests
A petition before the Supreme Court argues that Article 324 vests superintendence of elections in the Election Commission, not in the Chief Election Commissioner alone, and that Section 18 of the 2023 appointments law requires unanimity where possible and a majority otherwise. It cites reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections at least 14 times in about ten months, including on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. It seeks a writ of quo warranto against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. CJI Surya Kant had asked on 29 September for the matter to be listed the following week; it was on the cause list for Monday. One report says the bench declined an ex-parte order suspending Mr Kumar and sought responses from the Centre, the Commission and the CEC. The Commission denies that the objections show institutional dissent. Congress has held protests in many states, and the BJP says it is spreading falsehoods.
The Election Commission is the umpire of every election, and the dispute is about who inside it holds the whistle. If the court finds that decisions on the roll revision were taken by one person, it would affect the legal footing of an exercise that touches crores of voters. If it finds that majority or unanimity was followed, the political attack loses its main plank.
If you are a voter in a state where the revision is under way, nothing changes for you today; the Commission's notices and deadlines stand. Keep your documents ready regardless.
A three-member body must decide as a body. Recorded objections by two commissioners, if true, are exactly the kind of fact a court should examine.
Disagreement inside a commission is normal, the law allows a majority, and the opposition is using a court case for street politics. The Commission has said the process is lawful.
Watch the court's written order, not the headlines about it. The questions to look for are whether notice was issued, to whom, and by what date replies are due. A short return date would mean the court sees urgency before the next round of roll revision.
DailyDrop India edition No. 1 · Morning · MON., OCT. 5, 2026