Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of misleading the Supreme Court and the public over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the poll panel chief had “no moral right” to continue in office. Raut was among Opposition leaders who joined an INDIA bloc march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi, demanding Kumar’s resignation amid allegations concerning the conduct of the electoral-roll revision exercise. His remarks came as the Supreme Court continued to examine challenges to decisions taken by the Election Commission and questions over whether some of them were made without the concurrence of the other two Election Commissioners.

“It is now evident what game Gyanesh Kumar has played,” Raut told reporters during the protest. He alleged that changes had been made to the electoral process without the consent or approval of the full three-member Election Commission. “Even the Supreme Court has been misled by Gyanesh Kumar and such a person has no moral right to remain in the chair,” he said. The allegations are Raut’s political claims and have not been established by the Supreme Court. The Election Commission has maintained that decisions relating to the SIR exercise were taken unanimously and has rejected allegations of an internal division within the poll panel.

The remarks followed Monday’s Supreme Court hearing on petitions challenging the functioning and decision-making powers of the Election Commission. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices to the Election Commission, the Centre, the CEC and the two other Election Commissioners on a plea alleging that several decisions had been taken without the approval of the other members. The court also declined to pass an interim order restraining Kumar from functioning as CEC, saying it would first examine the relevant records rather than act on allegations or media reports. It indicated that decisions found to have been contrary to statutory requirements could subsequently face legal consequences.

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One of the central issues before the court concerns Form 6, the application used by eligible citizens seeking inclusion in electoral rolls. During Monday’s hearing, CJI Surya Kant clarified that the Supreme Court had not approved any modification to Form 6 used during the SIR exercise. The court said it wanted to examine the records to determine who authorised the modification. The clarification came after the Election Commission had previously stated that an additional declaration attached to Form 6 during the SIR process had been upheld by the court. The Supreme Court’s observation has since become a major point of contention between the Opposition and the poll panel.

The Supreme Court also agreed to examine allegations concerning decisions reportedly taken by the CEC without the concurrence of the other Election Commissioners. The petitions before the court raise broader questions about the functioning of the three-member constitutional body and the procedure through which electoral decisions are taken. The court has sought records and responses from the concerned authorities, but no judicial finding has yet established that Kumar acted unlawfully or unilaterally. The Election Commission, for its part, has continued to maintain that its decisions on the SIR exercise were unanimous.

Raut’s comments came as Opposition parties stepped up their protest against the Election Commission in Delhi. INDIA bloc MPs marched towards the poll panel’s office seeking Kumar’s resignation, but the procession was stopped by police near the NITI Aayog area. Several Opposition leaders staged a sit-in, while Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders later entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises as they attempted to proceed towards the Election Commission. Some Opposition leaders were detained. The continuing dispute over SIR, Form 6 and the Election Commission’s decision-making process is now being contested both politically and before the Supreme Court, which is expected to examine the records and responses in the cases before it.

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