BIG BREAKING: Gyanesh Kumar and EC goes on the front foot. ECI FILES AFFIDAVIT BEFORE SUPREME COURT ECI SAYS ALL DECISIONS PERTAINING TO SIR UNANIMOUS Election Commission of India files counter affidavit in Supreme Court on plea against CEC's functioning; says petition built entirely on a single news report What ECI says: Affidavit approved unanimously by all three members: the CEC and both Election Commissioners All three SIR orders (June 2025, October 2025, May 2026) were unanimous decisions of the Commission Notes, queries or suggestions by the CEC or ECs while a file moves are not decisions of the Commission Files go to one EC, then the other EC, then the CEC. In urgent cases, approval is taken electronically and recorded on file later Any officer issuing orders beyond delegated powers will face action July 28 work allocation order was issued by an Additional Secretary on deputation. Both ECs wrote to the Cabinet Secretary the next day. The order was never implemented after the ECs' joint direction of July 30 Form 6 has not been amended. Only the Centre can amend it. The SIR declaration is a separate document Admits the online display could be read as an amendment. From October 21, the online application will be split into Form 6 and the declaration, as in the physical form Unmapped voters need not attend hearings. BLOs will collect documents from their homes. Hearings only in exceptional cases, preferably online ECINet: no name is added or deleted except by order of the ERO. A committee with experts from IIT and IISc has been set up to check compliance Goa: of 97 "left out" voters, 88 had already been enrolled, 6 were abroad and 3 held Portuguese passports West Bengal appeals against inclusion of voters were filed by officers of the CEO, West Bengal, under Supreme Court orders. "These matters were not brought to the Commission" Plea to restrain the CEC is not maintainable. CEC can be removed only like a Supreme Court judge Commission never released or authorised the release of any internal note or file to the media Repeated challenges to EVMs already rejected by the Supreme Court Short reply filed due to Dussehra vacation. ECI seeks liberty to file a detailed para-wise response