Citing reports that about 14 decisions were taken in the name of the Election Commission between October 2025 and August 2026 despite objections recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, a PIL in the Supreme Court has sought to restrain Gyanesh Kumar from functioning as the Chief Election Commissioner.Petitioner Rakesh Kumar Singh has urged the top court to declare that decisions vested in the Election Commission cannot be taken unilaterally by the CEC.He wanted the court to issue a direction to Kumar to show under what authority he has acted, and continues to act as though he was individually entitled to exercise the collective decision-making power vested by Article 324 of the Constitution in the Election Commission.The PIL demanded the CEC’s suspension pending adjudication, production of the poll panel’s original records and constitution of an independent Judicial Inquiry Commission/SIT headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.Singh cited Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.According to Section 18 (1), “The Election Commission may, by unanimous decision, regulate the procedure for transaction of its business and also allocation of its business amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.”Section 18 (2) states that “All business of the Election Commission shall, as far as possible, be transacted unanimously, and if the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners differ in opinion on any matter, such matter shall be decided according to the opinion of the majority.”This is the second petition in the Supreme Court against CEC Kumar. Amid ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission, last week a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking criminal prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged violations of statutory duties during the SIR exercise.Petitioner Shailendra Mani Tripathi – an advocate — demanded a judicial inquiry or a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the alleged deletion of 13 crore voters from electoral rolls during the SIR.Tripathi urged the top court to declare that decisions, guidelines and software modifications undertaken by Kumar allegedly without the concurrence of the two Election Commissioners unconstitutional and void.