Days after two Election Commissioners (ECs) S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote to Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan on July 29 regarding the working of Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg, the secretariat sent an acknowledgment to both with a copy to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar for his “information”, a Right to Information (RTI) response has revealed.

The Cabinet Secretariat noted that the letters were from the ECs in their individual capacity and while needed to be taken with seriousness, cannot be taken as formal communication from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a whole. In the absence of any official communication from the commission any action can be construed as “interference”.

The RTI plea was filed by Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra.

Work allocation

A Cabinet Secretariat file noting dated August 3 says both the ECs had stated that Mr. Garg, after assuming the charge as link officer of DEC (Administration), issued an order regarding work allocation of equivalent and senior officers to him without discussing the revised work allocation with the commission or the officers concerned. Further, the ECs stated that this happened despite repeated oral and written instructions to all officers against taking such actions without prior discussion/approval of the commission.

“In this connection, we may request the Chief Election Commissioner for his opinion on the issue. Accordingly, a draft D.O. is put up for approval, please,” it said.

However, the very next day, that is August 4, the file notes that “the commission is a constitutional body and is insulated from executive interference by design to ensure that it functions independently and in a transparent manner”.

“The above communications are from the ECs in their individual capacity and, while they must be taken with due seriousness, they cannot be seen as a formal communication from the commission as a whole”.

It further says the ECs have sent these communications for appropriate action. However, “in the absence of any official communication from the commission as a whole, any action at this stage may be inappropriate. It may also be construed as interference in the functioning of the constitutional body”.

And hence, it will be appropriate to send acknowledgement to both ECs with a copy to PPS to the CEC for “information of CEC”.

A copy was also marked to be sent to the Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training since Mr. Garg was an All-India Service officer as well as ACC appointee.

“Draft DO may be put up accordingly”, it said.

Subsequently, on August 5, Mr. Somanathan wrote to both the ECs acknowledging the letters with a copy to PPS to the CEC.

It was though not clear from the RTI responses whether Mr. Gyanesh Kumar had in any manner responded to or acknowledged the information received from the Cabinet Secretariat.

Several daily-wage labourers lost a day’s earnings, as they were turned away at security barricades by the Delhi Police on Saturday morning, while they were on their way to workplaces in Central Delhi.

Follow the updates of the Delhi protest on October 10, 2026.

As Delhi turned into a fortress ahead of the protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, security forces set up multiple layers of barricades on roads leading to central Delhi. At the barricades, mostly only people with government ID cards were allowed to proceed towards Central Delhi.

Around 9:30 a.m., Ram Kishan Mandal, 36, was among a group of daily-wage workers employed at a construction site in central Delhi, who were stopped by Delhi Police personnel at a barricade leading to India Gate in Central Delhi. “Police are saying that we don’t have a permit to go ahead. We tried calling our employer, who asked us to walk to the site, but they are not allowing us,” he said.

Mr. Mandal, who hails from Katihar district of Bihar, said that his house was destroyed in the recent flood in the State, and his wife and children were living in a makeshift house with a tarpaulin roof. “If we earn something, then only I will be able to rebuild my house,” he said. “If we don’t work, we will lose out on today’s wage. What will we eat for two days?”

At another such barricade near Nizamuddin, another group of daily-wage workers was turned away by the police. “We are working at a construction site just across the flyover, but the police are not allowing us to go,” one of the workers said, pointing to a flyover about 50 metres away.

Mukesh Chauhan, 47, who works as an electrician at a work site in central Delhi, was also stopped at the Nizamuddin barricade while he was going to work on his motorbike. “If I don’t go, then I won’t get paid for the day. But they (police) are not allowing me to go. I earn only about ₹9,000 a month. People like us should be allowed to go. If I don’t work today, I will also lose the ₹100 I have spent on petrol for travelling,” he said.

Devender Chauhan, 41, on a scooter along with his wife was stopped at the barricade. “She works at a cafe in central Delhi. Look at her uniform; the company’s name is written here, but they are not allowing us to go,” he said.

“The advertising company in Khan Market, where I work, is asking me to go and open the shop. The main key is with me. They are now saying, don’t work today. I have checked other roads also, everything is closed,” Mr. Chauhan said.

After multiple requests, Mr. Chauhan’s wife finally got permission from one of the police officers to walk to her work place about 2 km away.

“Last time also, when Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, Khan Market was barricaded on all sides, and we were not allowed to even leave. We had to wait for about two hours,” he added, referring to the June-July protest in Jantar Mantar by CJP and other students’ unions.

CITU (Delhi) secretary, P.V. Aniyan, said that daily wage and gig workers in Central Delhi and nearby areas were the worst affected by the government’s clampdown. “Their one day’s earnings have been completely affected. Before enforcing such a blockade in Delhi, the government should think about its effects,” he said.

Three days after the Delhi Police detained protesters attempting to reach Jantar Mantar, a delegation of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), led by its president Neha Bora, on Monday submitted an “intimation letter” at the Parliament Street police station about a proposed protest on October 2 demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process. 

The delegation included activist Yogendra Yadav, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, social activist Nikhil Dey and educationist Nandita Narain. 

“The right of citizens to peacefully assemble and express their views is an important constitutional freedom,” the letter stated, adding, “It is in exercise of this fundamental right that we are intimating you.” 

‘Not a permission’ 

Delhi Police acknowledged receipt of the letter but clarified that this did not amount to permission for the protest. A stamp on the letter read, “This is not a permission. It is only an acknowledgement of your letter.” 

The organisers, however, said the protest would go ahead at 11 a.m. on October 2. 

“It is up to the Delhi police to facilitate us or to face us,” Ms. Bora said after submitting the letter. 

Concerns over SIR

According to the letter, the protest will raise concerns over the “recent functioning and actions” of the Election Commission (EC) and “the actions and decisions of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar”. 

The organisers have centred their concerns on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its alleged impact on voters. The letter claims that “thirteen crore people have been excluded from the voter roll already” and raises concerns over the manner in which the revision is being undertaken and changes relating to Form 6. 

The organisers said the protest intended to seek “accountability, transparency and protection of the electoral rights of citizens”. 

The group called upon “all friends of the democratic movement and concerned citizens” to join the protest and asked the police to take necessary steps to facilitate the “peaceful and lawful exercise of our democratic and constitutional rights without unnecessary obstruction or hindrance”. 

The letter submitted by the delegation to Delhi Police seeking permission for the protest.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Bora questions police action

On September 25, more than 50 protesters, including Ms. Bora, Mr. Yadav and Mr. Bhushan, were detained near Jantar Mantar during an AISA-led protest against the SIR exercise and demanding Mr. Kumar’s resignation. 

In a video message ahead of Monday’s submission, Ms. Bora questioned the police action against protesters seeking to demonstrate at what she described as a designated protest site. 

“First, you steal our right to vote, then we go to protest against this at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, and you then steal our right to democratic dissent. This police is denying citizens the right to protest, on the basis of which law and on whose orders?” she said.