Supreme Court rejects plea to suspend Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pass an ex parte suspension order against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in response to a petition seeking his removal. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, rejected the petitioner's request for interim suspension without hearing the respondents.
The court issued notice to the Union of India, Election Commission of India, CEC Kumar, Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sindhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg, and DG(IT) Seema Khanna. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, representing petitioner Advocate Rakesh Kumar, sought the CEC's suspension pending the hearing's conclusion, arguing that the other two commissioners could manage affairs as a majority.
The Chief Justice directed that relevant documents and electronic records be secured to prevent tampering. The next hearing on the petition is scheduled for the following week.
