INDIA Bloc Targets CEC Immunity Law, Plans Legal Challenge
Opposition leaders pursue street protests and a legal challenge over the 2023 law protecting Election Commissioners, while raising allegations of electoral irregularities.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th Oct: The INDIA bloc is intensifying its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar through parallel political and legal efforts, with Opposition leaders planning further demonstrations while questioning the 2023 law that grants legal protection to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners from certain legal proceedings over official acts.
The Opposition’s campaign follows weeks of protests over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, including claims of vote theft and concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The bloc has also raised objections to the selection process for the CEC, particularly the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking in Bengaluru, questioned why Election Commissioners had been granted legal protection that he said was broader than that enjoyed by the President or the Chief Justice of India. He alleged that the protection weakened accountability and accused the government of undermining electoral democracy. These remain Opposition allegations.
INDIA bloc leaders gather in Delhi
Several Opposition leaders are assembling in the national capital for the next phase of the campaign. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is already in Delhi, while RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are expected to arrive.
The alliance has previously submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu. According to reports cited in the account of the planned action, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined a meeting and advised the leaders to approach the court through a petition.
The proposed memorandum is expected to outline allegations against the CEC, question the 2023 immunity law and raise concerns about the exclusion of the Chief Justice from the appointment process. It is also expected to include allegations of vote theft through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS), supported by documentary material that the Opposition says substantiates its claims.
The Congress has asked its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs to remain in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi has postponed a scheduled visit to Goa and held discussions with party general secretaries and other leaders.
Protests continue amid heavy security
The current mobilisation follows an INDIA bloc march from Parliament to the Election Commission’s office on October 6, during which several prominent leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained. Subsequent actions included demonstrations in Central Delhi and a sit-in at Rajghat.
Bloc leaders have cited the deployment of more than 30,000 police personnel and over 7,000 paramilitary troops in Delhi over the weekend. They also claimed that around 3,000 protesters seeking to join a demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party against the CEC were detained on Saturday.
The Opposition says it will continue its campaign through public demonstrations and legal proceedings. The next phase is likely to focus on the scope of legal immunity for Election Commissioners, the process for appointing the CEC and the allegations concerning electoral rolls and postal ballots.
