On Tuesday INDIA bloc leaders marched towards the Election Commission demanding that CEC Gyanesh Kumar resign. Police closed Parliament Street for much of the day and detained leaders. Rahul Gandhi climbed a police barrier and waved the tricolour, and Congress shared video of him entering Akashwani Bhawan on the way to the Commission's office. The BJD joined the march. Rahul Gandhi said abuse of position by the CEC was proven; the BJP called his remarks full of lies. In court, Hindustan Times reported that the Supreme Court refused to restrain Mr Kumar, saying it could not pass an order based on a news report; The Indian Express reported that the court issued notice to the Commission, said it had not cleared a change to Form 6, and that it could annul unilateral decisions. The Indian Express and Mint also reported on the reopening of a 2006 Kerala bribery probe in which Mr Kumar was involved.
The row has moved from the street to the courtroom. The question is no longer only whether the roll revision is fair; it is whether the Election Commission decides as a body or as one man. The answer will matter for every election the Commission conducts.
If you live in a state where the Special Intensive Revision is on, check your name on the roll and the dates for objections. Forms 6 and 7 are how names are added or removed.
A constitutional body cannot be run by one person, and the court has taken the question seriously enough to issue notice. Peaceful protest is how the opposition says so.
The Supreme Court declined to act on a news report, which is the point: the allegations are untested. The march was staged for television, and the Commission says it follows the law.
Watch two dates: the return date on the court's notice, and whether the BJD's presence widens the bloc or is a one-day show. The bloc's own unity is fragile; The Indian Express and NDTV both report allies unhappy with Congress's impromptu moves.
The Indian Express (march; court notice; BJD; CEC visit) · Hindustan Times (court refusal; AIR video; ACP promotion) · Livemint (video; 2006 explainer) · NDTV · The Hindu (Oct 6)
Opposition's march on the Election Commission stalls at the barricades. Rahul Gandhi climbs one, and the Supreme Court says it cannot act on a news report
The INDIA bloc wants CEC Gyanesh Kumar to go. Police shut Parliament Street and detained leaders; the BJP calls the charges lies; a Kerala corruption probe from 2006 has been reopened.
Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission on Tuesday, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police shut Parliament Street for much of the day and held several leaders. Rahul Gandhi climbed a police barrier and waved the tricolour; later, Congress shared a video of him entering the Akashwani Bhawan complex on the way to the Commission's office. The Biju Janata Dal, which has kept its distance from the bloc, joined the march, which The Indian Express called a sign that the gloves were off against the BJP. Mr Gandhi said the CEC's abuse of position was proven. The BJP called his remarks "full of lies". Mr Kumar postponed a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh.
In court, the hearing of the plea asking whether the CEC can act alone produced two lines worth keeping. According to Hindustan Times, the Supreme Court refused to restrain Mr Kumar, saying it could not pass such an order on the basis of a news report. According to The Indian Express, it issued notice to the Election Commission, said it did not clear a change to Form 6 and that it can annul unilateral decisions; Chief Justice Surya Kant added that no modified Form 6 had the court's approval. Separately, The Indian Express and Mint report that a 2006 bribery probe in Kerala involving Mr Kumar is being reopened. The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls remains at the centre of the row. Meanwhile, a Delhi ACP accused by a woman journalist of harassment at Jantar Mantar has had his promotion put on hold.