Stories
Ex-Civil Servants and Activists Issue Impeachment Notice Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
- •A group of former civil servants and activists issued a people impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 5 demanding his removal.
- •The four-page chargesheet invokes Article 324(5) of the Constitution, citing six major charges including mass disenfranchisement and subversion of the ECI functioning.
- •Prominent signatories include former Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, former home secretary G K Pillai, and activist Yogendra Yadav.
- •The Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order to suspend CEC Gyanesh Kumar but issued a notice to the Election Commission seeking a response.
Key Questions Answered
The notice lists six primary charges, including the subversion of the collective functioning of the Election Commission, wilful alteration of Statutory Form 6, unlawful centralisation and manipulation of electoral roll administration, mass disenfranchisement via SIR, conduct affecting the poll body's impartiality, and repeated breach of statutory duty.
Article 324(5) of the Constitution provides that a Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office in a manner similar to that of a Supreme Court judge, specifically on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
The Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order to suspend CEC Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of unilateral decision-making, but issued a notice to the Election Commission of India seeking their response. The court noted that it could reconsider or recall decisions if it finds they were taken without the required unanimity.
