The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear next week a plea raising questions over the manner in which decisions are being taken by the Election Commission of India under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, who mentioned the plea, submitted that under the statutory framework governing the poll panel, decisions of the multi-member Election Commission are required to be taken unanimously or by majority.
“The way the Election Commission is functioning, there is serious doubt over whether the decisions are unanimous,” Singh told the bench.
The plea comes against the backdrop of a report by The Indian Express claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had, on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months, recorded objections to decisions and orders relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
According to the report, the two commissioners had raised objections over orders which they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the communications reflected differences over policy decisions.
In a statement, the poll panel said the letters sent by Sandhu and Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary concerned an officer on deputation and did not relate to policy or IT division matters.
The Supreme Court is expected to take up the plea next week.
(With inputs from PTI)
