New Delhi: Union Congress Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Monday rejected the opposition’s impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.This is the first time that a notice signed by 130 members of the Lok Sabha and 63 members of the Federal House of Representatives seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Election Commission has been issued.The 10-page impeachment motion charges Gyanesh Kumar with seven counts. The accusations range from partisan conduct by the Central Election Commission to mass disenfranchisement of voters in different states. Earlier, the poll body faced opposition over the all-India electoral roll purification – Special Intensified Revision (SIR).The opposition also raised issues with the manner in which SIR was handled by the Central Election Commission in previous elections such as Bihar and upcoming elections in West Bengal; his “proven misconduct”; and his favoritism towards political parties are also issues mentioned in the notice.The TMC issued a notice for revocation of the CEC after opposition parties leveled mounting allegations against Gyanesh Kumar.They accused the Central Election Commission of being biased and conducting the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in an arbitrary manner to help the BJP. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been leading protests against the SIR process in the state. Other opposition parties have also been attacking the Central Election Commission, with Rahul Gandhi leading the “Vote Chauri” movement.“Told you”After the motion was rejected, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh lashed out at Vice President Radhakrishnan, reminding him of the experience of his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned hours after accepting a motion seeking the ouster of Yashwant Varma.Jairam Ramesh posted on social media: “We know what happened when the previous president of the House of Federation accepted the petition filed by the opposition MPs.”TMC MP Derek O’Brien also attacked the Center and accused it of “making a mockery” of the parliamentary system.“Ah! Told you so,” he said in a social media post on X.“Members of the Lok Sabha rejected the notice to remove CEC Vanish Kumar. Reason? No reason was given. The BJP has been making a mockery of our great Parliament. Shameful,” he added.
What can the opposition do next?
After the motion was rejected, the opposition had options, but they were limited.The removal process follows the procedures laid down in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. The opposition can resubmit the motion to the Lok Sabha. The process will restart after the Speaker’s admission decision, as motions are filed independently in both chambers.In addition, the opposition may also consider filing a lawsuit with the Supreme Court. This may create “moral pressure” on CEC Gyanesh Kumar and he will resign from his post if a petition is filed against him in the Supreme Court.In 2018, Congress questioned the then Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu’s refusal to impeach then CJI Dipak Misra.Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, who was also a signatory of the impeachment notice, moved the case for emergency listing before the judge.
