Gyanesh Kumar’s actions illegal, should resign, says former Kerala CEO

Teeka Ram Meena, former chief electoral officer of Kerala, has accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of taking unilateral decisions and violating rules during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), saying he should quit if he has lost public trust.

In an interview with Malayala Manorama amid reports of growing differences within the Election Commission, Meena also questioned the legality of changes made to Form 6 without the President’s approval.

Did you write to Gyanesh Kumar pointing out lapses in the election process?
Yes, I did. I wrote to him last November, when there were widespread complaints about the Election Commission's functioning. Gyanesh was my batchmate in the civil services. Several people, including Rahul Gandhi, had pointed to procedural lapses in the SIR. There were also strong allegations that Gyanesh was taking decisions without consulting the other election commissioners.

But Gyanesh did not reply to my letter. The following month, I wrote to election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. They are also good friends of mine. I believe they started questioning Gyanesh’s decisions after receiving my letter.

The demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation is growing. Do you think he should step down?
Absolutely. If people have lost faith in you, you have no business continuing in office. Gyanesh simply doesn’t have the authority to take unilateral decisions in the Commission.

There are serious allegations of irregularities in the SIR. What do you make of them?
The decisions Gyanesh took in connection with the SIR are questionable. He unilaterally changed the format of Form 6, which is used to add names to the electoral roll. That is illegal. The format can be changed only with the President’s approval and he did not seek it.

The Election Commission of India is facing serious allegations. What should it do next?
I believe all decisions Gyanesh has taken over the past few years should be declared invalid. The Commission should take all its decisions by majority.

The Opposition has alleged that the country’s electoral process has been compromised. What do you make of that?
I think that is quite clear. The Commission must function transparently and democratically. But Gyanesh was secretive in the way he functioned. There is a strong suspicion that he was acting under pressure from some force.