New Delhi [India], September 23 : CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Wednesday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking "urgent constitutional intervention" to safeguard the integrity of the Election Commission, electoral rolls and citizens' voting rights, amid a row over an Indian Express report saying that two Election Commissioners had raised objections over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
In his letter to the President, Brittas said the developments surrounding the Election Commission and the SIR exercise were not merely a political or administrative issue but concerned the functioning of a constitutional institution.
"I write to your good self with a profound sense of constitutional responsibility regarding the deeply disturbing developments surrounding the Election Commission of India and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls," Brittas said.
"What has emerged is no longer an ordinary political or administrative controversy. It concerns the integrity of the electoral roll, the functioning of a constitutional institution and, ultimately, the citizen's right to participate in our representative democracy," he added.
Referring to the Indian Express report, Brittas said the revelations were "particularly grave" and claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over the last 10 months.
"The objections, inter alia, reportedly relate to the alteration of Form 6, centralised control of the electoral-roll database, new voter registration, deletion and restoration of voters in the rolls, filing of appeals by ECI against orders restoring voters in the SIR process, the inability of software to implement decisions concerning eligible voters and the custody and security of the entire electoral roll itself," he said.
Brittas said that if the reported facts were established through official records, they would raise questions over whether safeguards under Article 324 of the Constitution were being followed.
"The facts raise a fundamental constitutional question as to whether the institutional safeguards designed to ensure that the ECI functions as a multi-member constitutional body under Article 324 have, in practice, been respected," he said.
He also raised concerns over alleged changes made to Form 6, saying the alteration of a statutory form required amendment of rules.
"The report further states that the two Commissioners objected to the alteration of Form 6. Shri Vivek Joshi reportedly recorded that Form 6, being a statutory form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1961, could not be altered without amendment of the Rules," Brittas said.
He added that Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had reportedly described the continued alteration as "unauthorised" and "illegal" and called for its removal.
Brittas also referred to proceedings before the Supreme Court related to the SIR process and said concerns over notices issued to voters required scrutiny.
"The Court has questioned the apparent mechanical issuance of notices based on 'logical discrepancies' and sought the ECI's response and adjudication," he said.
Seeking the President's intervention, Brittas said there must be clarity on issues including Form 6 alterations, access and control of electoral databases, authorisation of appeals by the Election Commission and instances where technology allegedly prevented implementation of lawful decisions.
"Immediate safeguards should also be put in place against irreversible exclusion of eligible electors, with preservation of the complete electronic and administrative audit trail relating to the SIR for judicial and parliamentary scrutiny," he said.
Brittas also raised the pending parliamentary notice seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
"A fresh notice was submitted in the Rajya Sabha on 24 April 2026, signed by 73 Members of Parliament, invoking the constitutional and statutory provisions governing removal for proved misbehaviour," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also targeted CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the trust of citizens in the Election Commission's impartiality had been affected.
"Gyanesh Kumar has shown immense loyalty towards Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi. Now, to advance his career, he should think ahead—he should consider going to the Rajya Sabha, dream of entering the Rajya Sabha, or dream of becoming a minister," Gogoi said.
"The trust that the entire nation had in the Election Commission being impartial—that trust has been completely blown to shreds," he added.
Gogoi also demanded that the 2023 law providing protection to the Chief Election Commissioner be declared unconstitutional and said the pending Rajya Sabha motion against the CEC should be taken up.
Earlier, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad had also reacted to the Indian Express report.
The Indian Express report had said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process.
The Election Commission sources, however, said that all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Opposition parties had earlier moved motions seeking the removal of Gyanesh Kumar. In April 2026, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that 73 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs submitted a fresh notice seeking the removal of the CEC on grounds of "proven misbehaviour".
Earlier in April, a similar notice was submitted in the Lok Sabha, which was rejected by Speaker Om Birla after consideration, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin. The Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan also rejected the motion.