Rahul Gandhi says abuse of position by CEC Gyanesh Kumar proven, BJP calls remarks ‘full of lies’ - The Indian Express
As Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday said that the Supreme Court didn’t approve “any” of the modifications to Form 6, the Opposition hit out at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying that the court’s observation was “proof that he was abusing his position to help the BJP”.
In response, the ruling party stated that the top court’s notice to the poll panel and the Centre was “democracy in action”.
The Election Commission had included a new section in Form 6 that seeks the status of the applicant’s parents vis-à-vis the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even though the statutory form itself has not been amended.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said it “is now established beyond doubt that Gyanesh Kumar changed Form 6 illegally and unilaterally”. “This is just one more proof of him abusing his position to help the BJP,” he said.
In a post on X, Rahul said that Kumar and everyone else “involved in this criminal assault on our democracy will be held accountable”.
Taking on Rahul Gandhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra termed Rahul’s post on X “full of lies”, an attempt to “spread anarchy in the country by propagating lies”. “The CJI did not say that the Form 6 was illegal. Rahul Gandhi is lying that the Supreme Court said so… There is punishment for lying,” he said.
Patra alleged that Rahul is trying to “mislead” the country on what transpired during the Supreme Court hearing and on the statement issued by the Election Commission on September 26. “On both the issues, Rahul Gandhi is trying to create anarchy in the country by misleading people so that ḥis (political) rallies gain some strength,” he said.
The fact that “this entire matter” was taken to the Supreme Court and the apex court issued notices is also “democracy in action”, Patra said.
Responding to Rahul’s post on X, the Election Commission of India called his remarks “misleading”. “The order for SIR in Bihar issued on 24 June 2025 was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. This order has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its judgment dated 27 May 2026,” said the ECI.
“In its Press Note No. 120 dated 26 September 2026, in Point 1(iii), ECI has stated that, ‘the declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court’,” the ECI said on X.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said it was “yet another instance where Gyanesh Kumar overruled other ECs to perpetuate illegality for the BJP”.
“During the Modi-Shah regime, the Election Commission has truly become a ‘cheating commission’ which deprives the ordinary citizen of their inalienable right of franchise. Based on today’s proceedings, we reiterate our core demand — Gyanesh must go,” he said.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said that “the contradiction is glaring”. “The EC’s own press note of 26 September says Form 6 was upheld by the SC, while the Supreme Court’s statement now says otherwise. Who is misleading the country? These contradictions go to the heart of our democracy. If the institutions meant to protect our vote contradict each other, who protects the voter? This is how elections are stolen,” he wrote on X.
Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai told The Indian Express that the top court is now realising the seriousness of the issue of SIR. “The people of the country are hitting the streets. The courts are realising the seriousness now, even though it is late.”
CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar said the SC “categorically stated that it never approved the modified Form 6”. “How many lies will Gyanesh Kumar tell… The ECI, under Gyanesh Kumar, claimed in its September 26 press release that the top court had approved the changes. Now that press release has mysteriously disappeared from the ECI website. This is not a minor discrepancy — it is a grave assault on institutional credibility,” said Kumar.
CPIM MP John Brittas said: “I had written to the EC months ago pointing out that the modifications to Form 6 are illegal and unconstitutional. I am glad that the Supreme Court, after an inordinate delay, has finally clarified that these changes never had its sanction or clearance. Citizens were deeply anguished by the Court’s prolonged reluctance to step in and protect their most fundamental right — the right to belong to and participate in the electoral process…”
