Two ECs stand up to ask; CEC must answer, SC must not turn away

In India's vast democratic canvas, the task of maintaining accurate electoral rolls is a monumental one. The Election Commission of India (ECI), the constitutional authority entrusted with overseeing free and fair elections, is tasked with conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). This investigation aims to clean up and update the electoral rolls, including the deletion of 13 crore names from the draft voter rolls.

However, allegations point to a breach of trust — by one of the country's most respected institutions, to its citizens.

The ECI's functioning under scrutiny reveals a troubling narrative, as revealed by the newspaper's investigation. Three members of the Commission, all handpicked by the NDA government, voiced concerns regarding the SIR process. However, their objections were never addressed, and they were left unheard. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, two of these Commissioners, raised several issues.

They claimed changes to Form 6 for new voters were disregarding rules and making the process more burdensome. They also argued that the centralisation of the voter database undermined the ECI's claims of accountable and decentralised functioning.

In the face of mounting evidence, the Supreme Court has failed to intervene on behalf of the citizen struggling with the SIR process. Over the past few months, the Court's reluctance to protect the voter's rights has been troubling. Despite the Court's role in upholding the poll monitor’s autonomy and independence, it has, with regret, shown a tendency to turn away from the serious concerns raised by the ECI.

To address this, it is imperative that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) answers the concerns raised by Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi, at least in part.