New Delhi: A petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking criminal prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged statutory violations in connection with the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The petition, filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi under Article 32 of the Constitution through Advocate-on-Record Chand Qureshi, also seeks an independent judicial inquiry or Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged deletion of around 13 crore names from electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories.
Also Read: Students Protest After Gauhati University Cancels Candidate’s Nomination
The petitioner has sought action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg, Director General (IT) Seema Khanna and other officials allegedly responsible for breaches of official duty. The plea further challenges decisions, guidelines and software modifications allegedly implemented without the concurrence of the other two Election Commissioners. It relies on Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which provides for decision-making by majority when differences arise within the Commission.
The petition refers to reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions concerning decisions related to the SIR, including changes to Form 6 and electoral-roll data management. These allegations have not been judicially established. The petitioner has also sought restoration of the original statutory Form 6, along with a forensic audit of the ECINet and ERONet databases. The proposed SIT would be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and assisted by cybersecurity and information-technology experts.
The petition also seeks preservation of relevant server logs, databases, communications and metadata pending investigation. The case, Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India, has been filed as Diary No. 59734/2026. The allegations remain untested, and the filing of the petition does not amount to a finding by the Supreme Court.
