Stories
Supreme Court Refuses Interim Order Against Gyanesh Kumar Amid Form-6 Controversy
- •The Supreme Court dismissed petitions demanding the immediate suspension and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- •The INDIA bloc and other critics alleged that the Election Commission secretly tampered with Form-6 without court approval.
- •The Election Commission clarified that no changes were made to Form-6 itself, but a separate Declaration Form was added to simplify the SIR process for voters.
- •The Supreme Court issued notices to the central government and the Election Commission to examine records regarding unanimous decision-making.
Key Questions Answered
The Supreme Court dismissed the demand to suspend Gyanesh Kumar, stating that the Election Commission could not function without a Chief Election Commissioner. The court also noted it cannot issue orders based solely on a newspaper report.
Critics and opposition parties claimed Gyanesh Kumar made arbitrary, illegal changes to Form-6 without court approval. However, the Election Commission clarified that no changes were made to Form-6 itself; instead, a separate Declaration Form was attached to simplify verification for new voters during the SIR process.
The Declaration Form allows new voters to provide details if their parents' or relatives' names appear in a previous SIR. Submitting this declaration exempts them from providing any of the eleven standard documents otherwise requested via Form-6, making voter registration easier.
