Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said any fresh Opposition motion to remove Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would be dealt with under the procedure laid down in parliamentary rules.
His remarks came amid growing protests over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, after earlier removal notices were rejected and another attempt remained pending in the Rajya Sabha.
Removal requires the backing of a majority of the total membership of each House of Parliament, as well as at least two-thirds of the members present and voting in each House. Under Article 124(4), the required grounds are proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
Both houses must act in the same session before the President can issue the removal order.
Why Opposition wants Gyanesh Kumar removed
“We will follow the process when the motion is moved. They have demanded Kumar’s resignation and met President Droupadi Murmu to press for his removal. The Election Commission has disputed the suggestion that those notes show improper decision-making. The allegations against Kumar have not been established through the parliamentary removal process.
Fresh criticism followed an Indian Express investigation, which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions concerning voter registration, deletions and election software.
Just as there is a procedure for the impeachment of judges, there is a process laid down for the CEC too… It will be followed if the opposition moves a motion,” Birla said. Some instructions were issued without their knowledge or approval, according to the report. It said differing views were part of normal internal discussions and that the Commission’s decisions over the preceding year were unanimous.
