One report has made India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, a household name. Published by The Indian Express on September 23, the investigation has given weight to many of the public’s suspicions and raised fresh questions about the state of the country’s democracy and how the Election Commission (EC) operates.
The report found that two of the Commission’s three members, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, formally objected on record at least 14 times over ten months to decisions and orders they say were issued without their knowledge.
While all three members of the EC are meant to be equals, it is the CEC who decides what the Commission takes up. The two commissioners also alleged that several major decisions were taken without their knowledge or approval, or without a full commission meeting.
The report also reveals that concerns were raised over the new software system, ECINet, which reportedly runs counter to the EC’s traditionally decentralised structure. The commissioners also flagged “illegal and unauthorised” changes to Form 6, which is used for new voter registrations.
These are just some of the allegations the commissioners have raised over the past few months, and the report goes into far greater detail.
Amid all this, an earlier controversy involving Kumar’s daughter, Medha Roopam, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and the current District Magistrate (DM) of Noida, has resurfaced, raising further uncomfortable questions.
What Happened With The CEC’s Daughter?
Kumar has two daughters. The one in the spotlight is Medha Roopam, a 2014-batch IAS officer currently serving as the DM of Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar).
On September 2, 2026, the Allahabad High Court quashed the detention of Akriti Chaudhary, a 25-year-old Delhi University history graduate, under the National Security Act (NSA).
The court ordered her immediate release, criticised the detention order passed by Roopam, and awarded Chaudhary compensation of Rs 5 lakh, to be recovered from the salaries of Roopam and the other officers responsible.
Chaudhary was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police in April 2026 in connection with the Noida workers’ protest. On May 13, the authorities invoked the NSA against her and activist-journalist Satyam Verma.
According to a report by ThePrint, the bench said that “the detention order and the grounds for detention were devoid of material and passed without application of mind.”
LiveLaw reported that, per the court, the “NSA violated her Fundamental Right under Article 21, as the detention order and grounds were devoid of material and were passed ‘without application of mind’.”
The court also warned that “continued ‘despotic’ conduct by errant officials could reduce Uttar Pradesh to an ‘Orwellian Dystopia’.”
Read More: What Are Electoral Bonds And Why Is The SC Judgement Against Them Important
According to an NDTV report, the court said officers “must remember that their loyalty is towards the Constitution and not the political executive.” It added that officers are servants of the people, reminding them that “people are the masters in a democracy.”
The court was especially critical of Roopam, saying, “The conduct of the Gautam Buddha Nagar DM who passed the impugned [under challenge] order is worthy of derision.”
It also reportedly said, “Where the police report contained only allegations without credible supporting material, the District Magistrate was expected to examine the record before deciding whether the stringent provisions of the NSA were warranted.”
Former civil servant Ashish Joshi also criticised Roopam. In a September 8 post on X, he wrote: “The Stephanians (members of St. Stephen’s College FB Stephanians Group) strongly condemn the action of fellow Stephanian @MedhaRoopam, District Magistrate, Noida, in ordering the NSA detention of a student.
The Allahabad High Court’s sharp rebuke, warning that such ‘despotic’ officers risk turning Uttar Pradesh into an ‘Orwellian dystopia’ & underscores just how dangerous and unconstitutional this was. Preventive detention cannot be used as a tool of convenience or intimidation. We stand firmly for due process, constitutional rights, and against the misuse of power.”
The case did not end there. Roopam and the Uttar Pradesh government challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi arguing their case.
Appearing for Roopam, Mehta told the court, “I represent the DM, Noida. Without notice to her, some strictures are passed, and a cost of 5 lakhs is imposed.”
He added, “It’s one thing to quash the order of detention and another to castigate the officer who has passed the order,” pointing out that there were “several layers” and “administrative hierarchical levels” to be taken into account.
Rohatgi said, “She is arrested on the 12th of April. A proposal for detention under NSA has to be moved from the SHO level. Finally, the DM issues. It has to be affirmed by an advisory authority headed by a judge. Then the state and central govt confirms. She is just one person in the chain.”
According to a LiveLaw report, the SC initially “reserved order on the grant of interim relief in the petition filed by Gautam Buddh Nagar District (Noida) Magistrate Medha Roopam challenging the Allahabad High Court order, which directed compensation of Rs.5 lakhs to be paid from her salary for the detention of student Akriti Chaudhary under the National Security Act in connection with the Noida workers’ protest.”
The court then stayed the High Court’s verdict in its entirety, only to issue a revised order within hours limiting the stay to the strictures against Roopam and the Rs 5 lakh compensation direction. This means the High Court’s decision quashing Chaudhary’s NSA detention still stands.
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Sources: ThePrint, LiveLaw, NDTV, LawBeat, Bar and Bench, The Hindu, The Indian Express
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This post is tagged under: Gyanesh Kumar, Gyanesh Kumar Chief Election Commissioner, Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar daughter, Gyanesh Kumar cec, cec, Medha Roopam, Medha Roopam news, Medha Roopam case, Medha Roopam supreme court, Medha Roopam allahabad hc, Medha Roopam noida dm
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