Speaker Om Birla says any fresh motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar will be examined under the rules

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on 22 October that any fresh notice seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar would be examined under parliamentary rules and procedures. "If any fresh notice comes, we will see and examine it accordingly under rules and procedures," he told a press conference in New Delhi called to discuss India's hosting of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on 26-27 October.Sources:1Deccan Chronicle: Fresh Motion To Remove CEC Will Follow Rules: Birla, Deccan Chronicle, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)2Free Press Journal: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Says Any Fresh Motion To Remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar Will Be Examined Under Parliamentary Rules, Free Press Journal, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

The opposition has tried twice to remove Kumar. Notices from the first attempt were rejected in both Houses, while notices from the second attempt remain pending in the Rajya Sabha. Birla's remark does not mean a fresh motion has been admitted.Sources:1Deccan Chronicle: Fresh Motion To Remove CEC Will Follow Rules: Birla, Deccan Chronicle, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)3Outlook: Om Birla Says Any New Notice Seeking CEC's Removal Will Follow Rules, Outlook, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

The opposition's complaints centre on alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and protests demanding Kumar's resignation have been held in several parts of the country over the past fortnight. The row grew after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over 10 months to SIR decisions taken without their knowledge. The Election Commission says differing views are normal and that its orders follow statutory procedure.Sources:1Deccan Chronicle: Fresh Motion To Remove CEC Will Follow Rules: Birla, Deccan Chronicle, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)3Outlook: Om Birla Says Any New Notice Seeking CEC's Removal Will Follow Rules, Outlook, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)4Daily Jagran: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Says 'Will Follow Prescribed Procedure On Impeachment Motion To Remove CEC', Daily Jagran, 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

Asked about recent youth protests against the CEC, Birla said MPs can raise any issue in Parliament but that placards and sloganeering have no place there. Under the Constitution and a 2023 law, the CEC can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge: proved misbehaviour or incapacity, with a special majority in each House.Sources:1Deccan Chronicle: Fresh Motion To Remove CEC Will Follow Rules: Birla, Deccan Chronicle, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)4Daily Jagran: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Says 'Will Follow Prescribed Procedure On Impeachment Motion To Remove CEC', Daily Jagran, 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

INDIA bloc leaders were due to hold a virtual meeting on 22 October, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, on a next round of protests against Kumar that may begin in early November, after a rally at Ramlila Ground on 1 November. Options reportedly include a mock Parliament that would enact his "impeachment"; a Congress leader said no concrete plan had been finalised.Sources:5Daily Jagran: INDIA Bloc's Next Round Of Protests Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar May Begin In Early November, Virtual Meet Today, Daily Jagran, 22 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)