New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- Opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that he participated in a "devious and malevolent criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to steal national and state elections", and asserted that he must be tried for "treason" in a court.

The resolution seeking to indict Kumar was read out by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a symbolic "public impeachment" of the CEC, who has been under a fierce attack from the opposition over alleged electoral irregularities and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

The resolution stated that the Members of Parliament of the INDIA bloc resolved that he be impeached on the "charges" laid down by it. In the first charge, the INDIA bloc alleged that the CEC Kumar has overseen and participated in a "devious and malevolent criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to steal national and state elections".

Kumar has "willingly broken the rule of law by allowing them to access voter rolls, to delete and add voters at will and manipulate the outcome of the elections", the resolution alleged.

"He is guilty of operationalising a premeditated attack on the electoral process that is the very foundation of India's democracy. This is a criminal act and an act of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," said the INDIA bloc resolution.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the event, while Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Awadhesh Prasad and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy were serving as vice-chairs.

Besides Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, party General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, among others, were present at the "public impeachment" held on the eve of the opposition rally here.

Additionally, several MPs and leaders from various constituent parties of the opposition alliance -- including SP MP Dharmendra Yadav and TMC parliamentary party leader Derek O'Brien -- were in attendance.

The event was part of the opposition bloc's campaign against alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and its demand for accountability from the Election Commission. The BJP has accused the opposition of resorting to anarchy and attacking constitutional bodies after failing to win the confidence of voters.

In the resolution on Saturday, the INDIA bloc also accused the Chief Election Commissioner of being directly responsible for a manipulated, truncated and destructive SIR of electoral rolls.

"He has ensured the intentional deletion of 13.2 crore voters, depriving them of the fundamental right to vote guaranteed to them by the Constitution of India, in a manner that is partisan, opaque and flagrantly violative of natural justice.

"This is a criminal act and an act of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," the INDIA bloc resolution read.

The opposition bloc also alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner is guilty of illegally, without Parliamentary oversight or knowledge, having amended Form 6 of the Registration of Electors' Rules, 1960.

It decried it as a "criminal conspiracy to prevent the enrollment of first-time voters and stealing from them the fundamental right to vote guaranteed by the Constitution, effectively negating their rights as citizens of India.

"This is an act of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," the INDIA bloc resolution said.

It also alleged that Kumar is guilty of illegally centralising control over the electoral rolls in the ECI, through the malicious use of the ERONET/ECINET software, with the aim of deleting voters and preventing local ERO's from adding legitimate voters.

"This is a criminal attempt to tamper with the process of free and fair elections upon which the democratic framework of India is founded. It is an act of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," the resolution said.

The INDIA bloc further claimed that the Chief Election Commissioner is guilty of having willfully violated the law along with seven associates in the Election Commission, while "deliberately and unlawfully excluding" the other two Election Commissioners from decision-making, prompting them to place no less than 14 objections on record.

"This is a clear infringement of the mandate of the Election Commission as laid down by the Constitution of India and an act of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," it said.

The CEC has "breached" his constitutional mandate to act in an independent capacity to ensure free and fair elections and uphold the Constitution of India, the resolution said.

It also accused the CEC of denying a fair hearing to the opposition.

"In return for this shameful compliance with the ruling BJP, several of Mr. Gyanesh Kumar's family members have received benefits and considerations including by way of plum postings and unprecedented opportunities for remuneration," it alleged.

By acting "brazenly against his constitutional mandate" at the behest of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Gyanesh Kumar has betrayed the trust and faith of the Indian people, it said.

"He has willfully undermined the rule of law and participated in a criminal conspiracy to manipulate and falsify the results of democratically held elections that are the bedrock of India's democracy. These are acts of treason against the nation and the Constitution of India," the resolution said.

It alleged that "lifelong legal protection provided to Chief Election Commissioner Kumar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in December 2023 was intended as a cover for the criminal activities enacted by him against the nation and the Constitution of India and that he must be removed forthwith", it said.

"The Members of Parliament of the INDIA Janbandhan representing over 60% of the population of India and citizens assembled in New Delhi on October 31, 2026, resolve that for this gross betrayal of the people of India the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. Gyanesh Kumar, must be tried for treason in a court of law in accordance with the legal framework of the Constitution of India," the resolution said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.