A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alleging unauthorised changes to the Election Commission’s voter registration and electoral-roll management systems during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The petition comes in the wake of a media report that alleged discrepancies in the SIR process and how the objections of two CECs were ignored. The plea seeks prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act.
According to the plea, between November 2025 and August 2026, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded at least 14 written objections to decisions and procedures regarding voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, electoral databases and the functioning of the ECINet and ERONet systems.
One of the allegations is regarding ‘Form 6’ that is used for registration of new voters. The petition claims that a condition linking new voter applications to the ‘last SIR’ was added without a corresponding amendment to the statutory rules.
According to report in Indian Express, Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi reported objections over the change, while Sukhbir Singh Sandhu subsequently described the change as unauthorised and illegal.
The petition in top court also cites the case of 97 voters in Goa and alleged that although electoral officers found them eligible for inclusion after verification, the ECINet system did not have a ‘rollback’ option to reverse their earlier deletion. The Indian Express report claimed that all 97 names remained absent from the final electoral roll published in February.
The plea also raised questions over the filing of 16.10 lakh appeals in West Bengal against voters whose inclusion had been upheld by judicial officers during the SIR process.
The petitioner also sought judicial and forensic audits of the ECINet and ERONet systems, besides directions to preserve relevant digital records. The plea also sought action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and other officials if they are found responsible of any irregularities in the SIR process.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has rejected the allegations of irregularities and said differences of opinion and internal notes are part of the decision-making process.
Nakshab Khan is a senior journalist with nearly two decades of experience in Indian media. Beginning his career in 2007, he has worked with leading news organisations, including Times Now, News18, TV9 Network, IANS, Zee Media, UNI TV. He is currently associated with NewsX Digital as a Deputy Editor.
Over the years, Nakshab has extensively covered politics, international affairs, crime, and public policy. He has special interest in global affairs, with a strong focus on West Asian affairs. He can be reached at nakshab.ali@gmail.com.
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