New Delhi, October 22 2026: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said that any new notice asking for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will be looked at using the usual rules of Parliament. His comment comes after Opposition parties continue to protest about the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Talking to reporters before the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which will happen in New Delhi on October 26 and 27 Birla said the way to ask for the removal of the CEC is already set out. He said the issue would be considered if the Opposition officially puts forward another motion.
The Speaker did not say anything about a notice. His comments focused on following the process instead of talking about the claims against Kumar.
Opposition increases pressure on CEC
Demanding the removal of Gyanesh Kumar has become an issue between the Opposition and the Election Commission. The Opposition has asked about how the SIR process was handled and said there were problems with the way the voter lists were updated.
The INDIA group has held demonstrations. Asked for help from the constitutional authorities. On October 9 a group of Opposition leaders met President Droupadi Murmu. Gave a paper with worries about the voting process. This group included Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, among leaders.
The Opposition asked for Gyanesh Kumar to be removed, the SIR process to stop and paper voting to be used again. They also said some voters were taken off the lists. These claims are part of the Oppositions arguments. Do not prove that Gyanesh Kumar did anything wrong.
This problem has also made people look more at how the Election Commission makes decisions. Leaders from the Opposition want openness about how voter list changes are made.
Previous attempts to remove CEC and legal steps
The Opposition has tried to start the process of removing Gyanesh Kumar than once. On March 12 2026 notices asking for his removal were given in both parts of Parliament. In the Rajya Sabha 63 Opposition MPs signed the notice and 130 MPs supported the notice in the Lok Sabha. Both notices were turned down by the leaders of the Houses in April.
A second notice was given in the Rajya Sabha on April 24 with 73 Opposition MPs signing it. This notice had nine problems that the Opposition called ” bad behavior.” According to news from September this notice was still waiting.
The Opposition is thinking about giving notices. Reports say that the new plan might include problems about choices made during the voter list update.
Removing the CEC is covered by Article 324(5) of the Constitution. This part says the CEC can only be removed in the way and for the same reasons as a Supreme Court judge.
The process needs the Parliament to look at it and needs a majority in both Houses. A motion needs to have the support of than half of all the members in each House and also two-thirds of the members who are present and voting. These rules are meant to keep the job independent.
So asking for removal does not mean the CEC is removed. Any new motion must go through the legal and Parliament steps.
Parliaments end and possible special meeting
Birla was also asked about talk that the government might call a meeting of Parliament to look at the Constitution (131st Amendment). The Delimitation Bill, which are part of the plan to have 33 per cent of seats for women in the legislature.
He did not say if a special meeting was planned. Instead he talked about Article 85 of the Constitution, which deals with calling and ending Parliament and dissolving the Lok Sabha.
The Monsoon session ended on August 13 without a date to start again but Parliament was not officially ended as of October 22. Ending without a date ends a meeting or session while ending formally ends a session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said the Constitution does not set a time for ending a House after it has ended. He also mentioned past times when Parliament stayed open for a time.
Article 85 says that no than six months can pass between the last meeting of one session and the first meeting of the next. It does not set a time for ending a session after it has ended.
Other parliamentary issues and BRICS meeting
Birla also talked about petitions asking to remove some Trinamool Congress MPs who joined a party. He said the petitions were being checked and both sides were being listened to. The TMC group said these lawmakers left their party.
At the time plans are being made for the two-day BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi. Birla hoped that the countries would agree on a statement and talk about problems like terrorism and the environment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be at the event. Meet the visiting groups. Birla said he hoped the talks would cover terrorism and other issues that need help from the countries involved.
For now the question of a notice, against Gyanesh Kumar depends on what the Opposition and the Parliament do next. Birla’s comment shows that any new step will follow the rules and how it goes will depend on the steps needed.
