1 hr ago
Citizens Seek Supreme Court Stay on Electoral Roll Revision
More than 2,000 people have written to India’s Supreme Court about changes to voter lists.
They want the Court to temporarily stop the Election Commission’s special revision of the lists.
The group says there were serious problems with how the revision was managed.
They also say some election commissioners disagreed with decisions made by the commission’s chief.
The letter questions changes to the form used by new voters to register.
It also says a central computer system may have limited the powers of local election officers.
The signatories give examples from Goa and West Bengal to support their concerns.
They claim that more than 13 crore voters were removed from lists in 30 States and Union Territories.
They are asking for an independent review before the process continues.
More than 2,000 citizens have urged Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and other Supreme Court judges to intervene in the Election Commission’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The open letter seeks an immediate stay and cancellation of the SIR exercise, an independent investigation into the Election Commission, and an audit of its ECINet platform.
Signatories allege that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times to decisions they said were taken without their knowledge or consent.
The letter challenges changes to Form 6 and claims ECINet centralisation has prevented local electoral officials from restoring some verified voter names.
The signatories claim that more than 13 crore voters have been struck off across 30 States and Union Territories, raising concerns about disenfranchisement and due process.
- Who
- More than 2,000 citizens, including academics, lawyers, former civil servants, activists, journalists and retired military personnel, led by named signatories including Aditya Mukherjee, Mridula Mukherjee, Anjali Bhardwaj, Gauhar Raza, Amrita Johri and Shabnam Hashmi.
- What
- They sent an open letter seeking Supreme Court intervention, an immediate stay and cancellation of the Election Commission’s special intensive revision, an independent investigation, and an audit of ECINet.
- Where
- The concerns relate to electoral-roll operations across 30 States and Union Territories, with examples from Goa and West Bengal; the letter was sent to the Supreme Court of India.
- When
- During the ongoing special intensive revision; the letter also cites objections made by two election commissioners over a 10-month period.
- Why
- The signatories allege irregularities, unilateral decision-making, unauthorised changes to voter-registration procedures, excessive centralisation of electoral data, and possible disenfranchisement.
Key facts
- Signatories
- More than 2,000 citizens
- Recipient
- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and other Supreme Court judges
- Requested action
- Immediate stay and cancellation of the SIR exercise
- Additional requests
- Independent investigation into the Election Commission and a comprehensive ECINet audit
- Alleged commissioner objections
- At least 14 objections by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over 10 months
- Claimed voter removals
- More than 13 crore voters across 30 States and Union Territories
- Examples cited
- Goa voter-restoration problems and more than 16 lakh deletion appeals in West Bengal
Quotes
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
Election commissioner cited in the open letter’s allegations about changes to Form 6
“unauthorised and illegal”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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