Supreme Court On Top Poll Officer Row: 'Were Decisions Unanimous Or By Majority?'

The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear: it cannot pass an order based on a newspaper report, and will need a response from the Election Commission before deciding if the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar can single-handedly exercise powers constitutionally designated for the entire multi-member poll panel. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued notice to the Election Commission, seeking their response on the allegations that Chief Election Commissioner took decisions unilaterally in the poll body, without consensus from the two other Election Commissioners. "After notice, if they come and show that ABC decisions were taken without unanimity, we will take those decisions back," the court said. The court was hearing pleas against the Election Commission concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The petition challenged that the powers vested in the poll panel as a multi-member constitutional body are being exercised without following the collective decision-making mechanism mandated by law.