Gyanesh Kumar salary, perks and assets: Does CEC have to disclose net worth like MPs, MLAs? Explained

The opposition INDIA bloc on Monday kicked off its protest march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in the national capital

The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.

Led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the Opposition 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

What is the salary of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar?⌵

Gyanesh Kumar draws a basic monthly salary of ₹2,50,000, which is equivalent to that of a Cabinet Secretary.

What perks does the Chief Election Commissioner receive?⌵

The perks include a monthly allowance of ₹34,000, free official residence and government cars, security cover, subsidized utilities, and a substantial post-retirement pension.

Why is there controversy regarding the changes to Form 6?⌵

The controversy arises from allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar made unilateral changes to Form 6 for voter registration during the Special Intensive Revision without approval from the other Election Commissioners.

How is the salary of the Chief Election Commissioner determined?⌵

The salary of the Chief Election Commissioner is fixed by the government based on recommendations from the Central Pay Commission, following the amendments in the 2023 law.

Is Gyanesh Kumar's net worth publicly disclosed?⌵

No, there is no public information available regarding Gyanesh Kumar's net worth, which has been questioned under the RTI Act.

The Opposition has alleged that the Election Commission took unilateral decisions and accused it of facilitating systematic “vote theft” The march to Nirvachan Sadan is expected to further intensify the political confrontation between the Opposition and the poll panel over electoral roll-related issues.

CEC salary, key perks and allowances

Amid the row, LiveMint takes a look on the career, family, net worth and other details of Gyanesh Kumar.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India draws a basic monthly salary of ₹2,50,000, equivalent to that of a judge or a Cabinet Secretary. Previously, it was equivalent to the salary of a Supreme Court Judge.

The perks include:

•Monthly allowance of ₹34,000 (the CEC and Election Commissioners voluntarily resolved to give up income tax exemptions on this allowance).

• Entitled to LTC for self, spouse, and dependent family members (voluntarily curtailed from three times a year to one time a year).

• Free official government residence, official cars with chauffeurs, 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 aligned with high constitutional authorities.

Under the 1991 Act, which is now amanded, the salaries of CECs and ECs were equivalent to those of Supreme Court Judges. But the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023, equated the salaries of the CEC and ECs with those of the Cabinet Secretary.

Both salaries are currently equivalent but they are regulated differently. Article 125 of the Constitution requires that the salary of a Supreme Court Judge be fixed by an Act of Parliament.

However, the salary of a Cabinet Secretary is fixed by the government upon the recommendation of the Central Pay Commission. Thus, the 2023 law allowed the Executive greater control over determining the salaries of the CEC and ECs.

Gyanesh Kumar's career

Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre. He became Election Commissioner in 2024 and the CEC in February 2025.

Kumar, 62, has worked with Union Home Minister Amit Shah before. He retired as secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation, which comes under Amit Shah, on 31 January 2024. Before that, he also served as the secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Article 370 abrogation

Kumar was posted as Joint Secretary, Kashmir Division, in Amit Shah-led Home Ministry when Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019.

In 2020, Kumar, posted as additional secretary, headed a dedicated desk in the Home Ministry to look after all matters related to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya case, including the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Earlier, during the Congress-led UPA government, Kumar was posted as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence between 2007 and 2012.

BTech from IIT, Kanpur

Born on 27 January 1964 in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar is an engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where he earned a BTech in Civil Engineering. He has also completed a PG in Economics from Harvard, USA, and is studying for the CFA at 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-batch IAS officer who has served as District Magistrate (DM) of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida).

Medha's Husband, Manish Bansal is a 2014-batch IAS officer who has served as District Magistrate of Agra.

Kumar’s younger daughter, Abhishri is an IRS officer (Income Tax) and an alumna of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. Her husband Akshay Labroo is a 2017-batch IAS officer who is currently posted as deputy commissioner of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gyanesh Kumar's net worth

There is no public information available on CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s net worth.

In April this year, former TMC MP Saket Gokhale had questioned why the assets held by Gyanesh Kumar were declared “private information” under RTI. Gokhale said that as an IAS officer in the past, Kumar’s assets were supposed to be publicly available.

In a detailed post on X, Gokhale shared his RTI application and the response from the central government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

In his RTI application dated 5 November 2025, Gokhale had sought details of the immovable property returns (IPRs) filed by Gyanesh Kumar, an IAS officer, between 2015 and 2023.

The section that the CPIO referred to reads: “Information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information.”

Gokhale, in his RTI application, had contended that as per Section 8(2) of the RTI Act, even if an exemption is claimed under Section 8(1)(j), the information sought by him pertains to public servants in their official capacity and involves public interest in transparency and accountability, and disclosure of such information is not exempt.