Former civil servants and activists file formal removal notice against Chief Election Commissioner

A group of former bureaucrats and social activists on Monday submitted a chargesheet and formal notice of impeachment against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of proved misbehaviour and seeking his removal under Article 324(5) of the Constitution.

The Charges

The notice lists six main charges, including a claim that Kumar took decisions in the name of the Election Commission of India without proper consultation by the full commission. It cites the Special Intensive Revision as an unprecedented exercise that led to mass disenfranchisement, alleging that 13.3 crore names were deleted and that the gap between the adult population and the electorate could reach 15 crore. The delegation stated that women, poor people, migrants, minorities and elderly voters faced a disproportionate impact from these roll revisions.

Further Allegations

Additional counts in the notice cover changes made to Form 6 for voter registration despite internal objections, the deployment of the ECINET system without proper statutory backing, and conduct that created an apprehension of political partisanship. Signatories to the chargesheet include former Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, former home secretary G K Pillai, former civil servant Amitabha Pandey, and activist Yogendra Yadav, who asked Kumar to resign or face removal.

Context

This follows an earlier report, covered earlier on 05 Oct 2026: ''Proved misbehaviour': Former officials serve impeachment notice against CEC Gyanesh Kumar; delegation lists 6 charges'. Under the Indian Constitution, high constitutional authorities like election commissioners can be removed through a specific parliamentary process following an inquiry into proved misbehaviour or incapacity.