Gyanesh Kumar Salary, Perks and Assets: Does CEC have to disclose net worth like MPs, MLAs? Explained | Today’s news
INDIA’s opposition bloc on Monday began a protest march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in the national capital.
The protest is part of a wider “Save Democracy” campaign announced by the opposition, in which its leaders are holding demonstrations and public programs against the EC.
Read also | Form 6 series: Why Rahul trains guns on Gyanesh Kumar, what SC said
The opposition, led by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, has stepped up its attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and changes to ‘Form 6’, used for voter registration.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
Gyanesh Kumar draws a basic monthly salary of ₹2,50,000, equivalent to that of a Cabinet Secretary.
Benefits include a monthly allowance of ₹34,000, free official residence and government cars, security cover, subsidized services and a substantial floor pension.
The controversy stems from allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made unilateral changes to voter registration form 6 during a special intensive revision without the consent of other election commissioners.
The salary of the Chief Election Commissioner is set by the government based on the recommendations of the Central Wage Commission after the amendments to the 2023 Act.
No, there is no public information available regarding Gyanesh Kumar’s net worth which has been questioned under the RTI Act.
The opposition claimed that the Electoral Commission made unilateral decisions and accused it of facilitating systematic “vote theft”. The Nirvachan Sadan march is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the opposition and the election panel over issues related to the electoral roll.
CEC salary, key benefits and allowances
Amidst the series, LiveMint takes a look at the career, family, net worth and other details of Gyanesh Kumar.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India draws a basic monthly salary of Rs ₹2,50,000, which is equivalent to that of a Judge or Cabinet Secretary. It used to be equal to the salary of a Supreme Court judge.
•Monthly contribution in the amount ₹34,000 (CEC and Election Commissioners have voluntarily decided to waive income tax exemption on this allowance).
• Entitlement to long-term care for yourself, your spouse and dependent family members (voluntarily limited from three times a year to once a year).
• Free official government residence, chauffeured company cars and security cover.
• Free or heavily subsidized electricity, water, telephone facilities and comprehensive medical treatment/facilities for self and family.
•Substantial post-retirement pension and benefits in accordance with high constitutional authorities.
Under the 1991 Act, now amended, the salaries of CECs and ECs were equivalent to those of Supreme Court judges. But The CEC and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023he compared the salaries of CECs and ECs with those of the Cabinet Secretary.
Both salaries are currently equivalent but regulated differently. Article 125 of the Constitution requires the salary of a Supreme Court judge to be fixed by an Act of Parliament.
However, the salary of the Cabinet Secretary is fixed by the Government on the recommendation of the Central Pay Commission. The 2023 Act thus allowed the executive branch greater control over the determination of CEC and EC salaries.
Career of Gyanesh Kumar
Gyanesh Kumar he is a 1988 batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre. He became Election Commissioner in 2024 and CEC in February 2025.
Read also | SC refuses to suspend CEC Gyanesh Kumar, seeks response to election body’s decision
Kumar, 62, worked with Union Home Minister Amit Shah before. On 31 January 2024, he retired as Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation under Amit Shah. He also previously served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Article 370 repeal
Kumar was then appointed Joint Secretary of the Kashmir Division in the Amit Shah-led Home Ministry Article 370 was canceled in August 2019.
In 2020, Kumar, appointed as Additional Secretary, led a reserved table at the Ministry of the Interior to oversee all matters related to the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya case, including creation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Earlier, during the Congress-led UPA government, Kumar was posted as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in Ministry of Defence between 2007 and 2012.
BTech from IIT, Kanpur
Born on 27 January 1964 in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar graduated in engineering Indian Institute of TechnologyKanpur where he obtained his BTech in Civil Engineering. He also completed his PG in Economics from Harvard, USA and is pursuing CFA from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI).
Kumar’s father was a doctor and his grandfather was a freedom fighter and later a principal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Immediate Family
Kumar’s elder daughter Medha Roopam is a 2014 IAS officer who served as a District Magistrate (DM) Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida).
Medha’s husband, Manish Bansal is a 2014 batch IAS officer who served as the District Magistrate of Agra.
Kumar’s younger daughter Abhishri is an IRS (Income Tax) officer and a graduate St. Stephen’s CollegeDelhi. Her husband Akshay Labroo is a 2017 batch IAS officer who is currently Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
Gyanesh Kumar Net Worth
There is no public information available about CEC Gyanesh Kumar net worth.
In April this year, former TMC MP Saket Gokhale questioned why assets held by Gyanesh Kumar were declared “private information” under an RTI. Gokhale said that as an IAS officer in the past, Kumar’s assets should have been publicly available.
In a detailed post on X, Gokhale shared his RTI request and the response from the central government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
In his RTI application dated November 5, 2025, Gokhale had sought details of immovable property returns (IPRs) filed by Gyanesh Kumar, an IAS officer, between 2015 and 2023.
The section referred to by the CPIO reads: “Information which relates to personal information, the disclosure of which has no relation to any public activity or interest, or which would cause an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of an individual, unless the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer or the Appellate Body is satisfied that the greater public interest justifies the disclosure of such information.’
Read also | SIR series: SC refuses to suspend CEC Gyanesh Kumar, issues notice to EC, Centre
In his RTI application, Gokhale contended that under Section 8(2) of the RTI Act, even if an exemption is sought under Section 8(1)(a). (j), the information it requests relates to government employees in their official capacity and involves the public interest in transparency and accountability, and disclosure of such information is not exempt.
