Election Commission of India

In the news

• EC tells Supreme Court the CEC can be removed only like a Supreme Court judge 27 October 2026 · The Hindu

  Can a court stop a sitting Chief Election Commissioner from working, or does only Parliament hold that power?

• Supreme Court says it never approved the modified Form 6, issues notice to the EC 6 October 2026 · The Hindu

  The EC said the Court had cleared a new question on the voter form. The Court says it did not. Who changed the form?

• Op-ed: After the SIR, use Aadhaar to keep voter rolls clean 15 September 2026 · Indian Express

  The government trusts Aadhaar to pay pensions and deliver rations. Should it also decide who stays on the voter list?

Key facts

• Article 324(5) says the CEC can be removed only in like manner and on the like grounds as a Supreme Court judge, and his conditions of service cannot be varied to his disadvantage after appointment. (27 October 2026)
• Other Election Commissioners can be removed only on the recommendation of the CEC, under the second proviso to Article 324(5) and Section 11(3) of the 2023 Act. (27 October 2026)
• On 5 October 2026 a Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana said the Supreme Court had not approved the modified Form 6 and issued notice on a plea against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. (6 October 2026)
• The modified Form 6 declaration asked whether the applicant or their parents had been mapped in the previous SIR; the EC had claimed on 26 September 2026 that the Court's May 2026 Bihar SIR judgment approved it. (6 October 2026)
• Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of electoral rolls in the Election Commission; Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 allows a special revision. (15 September 2026)
• Article 326: every citizen aged 18 or above who is not disqualified by law can vote; the 61st Amendment (1988) lowered the age from 21. (15 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks Is the right to vote a fundamental right? Discuss the position of the Election Commission of India while undertaking the revision of electoral rolls. Can it also examine the question of citizenship of the voters?
2. 2022 · GS2 · 10 marks Reforming the government delivery system through the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme is a progressive step, but it has its limitations too. Comment.
3. 2018 · GS2 · 10 marks In the light of recent controversy regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), what are the challenges before the Election Commission of India to ensure the trustworthiness of elections in India?
4. 2017 · GS2 · 15 marks To enhance the quality of democracy in India the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how far are they significant to make democracy successful?
5. 2017 · Prelims Consider the following statements: 1. The Election Commission of India is a five-member body. 2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections…
6. 2017 · Prelims Right to vote and to be elected in India is a (a) Fundamental Right (b) Natural Right (c) Constitutional Right (d) Legal Right