Shailendra Mani Tripathi filed a public‑interest petition before the Supreme Court, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg and Director General (IT) Seema Khanna be prosecuted for dereliction of duty under the Representation of the People Act.
The petition alleges that the trio made several key decisions, including the removal of 13 crore voter names from the electoral rolls, without the concurrence of the other two Election Commissioners. It also seeks the reinstatement of the original ‘Form 6’ and a declaration that those unilateral orders are unconstitutional and void.
The filing follows a report in The Indian Express that the two dissenting commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions concerning the Special Intensive Revision of the rolls and changes to Form 6. Those objections, the paper said, were ignored, prompting the petitioners to seek judicial intervention.
The Election Commission, however, maintains that all decisions taken in the last year were unanimous, citing that differing views are a normal part of deliberation.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, branded Kumar a “traitor” and demanded his resignation, warning that the Congress would not stay silent while democracy is “being destroyed”.
If the Court finds merit in the petition, it could order a Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged unilateral actions and may impose criminal liability on the officials involved.