MUMBAI: A petition has been filed before the Kolhapur Bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday, questioning certain decisions and administrative processes undertaken under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.The petition seeks the constitution of an independent judicial committee headed by a retired High Court judge to inquire into the alleged irregularities in the SIR process.The petition filed by Prathamesh Gavankar through Advocate Asim Sarode cites a newspaper report which stated that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions concerning various decisions and administrative processes of the Election Commission.The petition impleaded the Central Election Commission, New Delhi; Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar; Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi; and the State Election Commission as respondents.According to the petitioners, the objections relate to voter registration, deletion and restoration of voters’ names, the electoral-roll database, the functioning of Electoral Registration Officers, and software-related processes.Against this backdrop, the petition raises a legal question as to whether the Election Commission discharged its functions collectively in accordance with Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.The petition also challenges changes made to Form-6 in July 2026.The petition seeks quashing of 14 alleged unilateral administrative orders and changes, a stay on the SIR process in Maharashtra, restoration of the names of voters whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise, as well as postponement of the forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections in the concerned States until fresh electoral rolls are prepared and approved in accordance with law.The petition states, “Prior to filing the present Petition, an advance legal notice dated 23/09/2026 was issued to R-1 (ECI) and R-2 (CEC) informing them of the proposed Writ Petition and the principal grounds and reliefs sought therein.”The prayers in the petition include “quashing the 14 unilateral administrative orders, modifications carried out by R-1 and R-2,” and a direction to the Election Commission to place on record all the 14 unilateral administrative orders and modifications carried out by the CEC, along with copies of the dissent recorded by the two other officers.The petition also seeks a direction to the Election Commission “to restore every voter deleted during the process of SIR within the State of Maharashtra” and directions “that the forthcoming State Assembly Elections in all concerned States be kept on hold until fresh, untainted, and legally compliant electoral rolls are approved by a statutory majority of the multi-member Election Commission.”It finally seeks a “direction appointing an independent Judicial Committee” to investigate the alleged data deletions and software blockages implemented during the current SIR process.The petition relies upon the Supreme Court judgments in T.N. Seshan v. Union of India and S.S. Dhanoa v. Union of India, emphasising the importance of collective decision-making in a multi-member Election Commission.
