Rahul Gandhi attacks election commissioner’s legal immunity over poll allegations
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar enjoys broad legal protection because he helped the Narendra Modi government “steal elections”. The INDIA bloc is considering a challenge to the 2023 law granting the CEC and other election commissioners immunity for official acts.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised the legal immunity provided to India’s Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners, alleging that it protects the officeholder because of support for the Narendra Modi government. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, made the allegation in a post on X on Wednesday. He referred to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and used the phrase “vote chori”, or theft of votes.
His comments followed a meeting of the INDIA bloc, the opposition alliance, where leaders discussed whether to challenge the law that grants immunity to the CEC and the other two Election Commissioners. Former Law Minister and jurist Kapil Sibal suggested that the opposition should challenge the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act. Section 16 prevents courts from entertaining or continuing civil or criminal proceedings against the commissioners for acts carried out in the discharge of official duties or functions.
The supplied material does not record a response from the Election Commission, the government or Gyanesh Kumar to Gandhi’s allegation. Opposition leaders also discussed resistance to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls across states. The process has prompted questions about the addition and deletion of names, according to the material.
At a Congress Working Committee meeting, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi reportedly cautioned that a failed court challenge could legitimise the law and appear as a setback. Other leaders proposed public mobilisation, including protests and an indefinite sit-in in Delhi. Some members argued that Congress should work beyond legal proceedings with people who had lost their right to vote and turn opposition to the revision into a broader public movement.
The discussions described in the material concern possible political and legal responses; no challenge or protest action was confirmed as having been launched.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.