Advocate seeks to file contempt plea in Supreme Court against CEC
A Supreme Court advocate has sought the Attorney General's consent to file a criminal contempt petition against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The move follows reports revealing internal fractures and allegations that the CEC bypassed fellow commissioners on key policy actions.
Why it matters
Raises critical questions about the institutional integrity, multi-member consensus, and independence of India's election commission.
A Supreme Court advocate on Thursday (September 24, 2026) sought statutory consent of the Attorney General of India to initiate criminal contempt action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar following a media report revealing a “complete breakdown of multi-member consensus within the Election Commission of India (EC)”.
Referring to The Indian Express report alleging “deep structural subversions”, advocate Brajesh Singh submitted that the other two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, formally registered written objections at least 14 times over the last 10 months.
“The Commissioners flagged numerous policy actions, including sweeping alterations to voter registration software, changes to Form 6, and the deletion/restoration of voter names under the Special Intensive Revision process as being ‘unauthorised, illegal’, and executed entirely without their knowledge or the approval of the full Commission,” Mr. Singh contended.
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