SC issues notice to ECI on plea challenging Delhi SIR process; suggests greater BLO assistance to affected voters
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New Delhi, Sep 22 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on a plea questioning the manner in which the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being carried out in Delhi, particularly the issuance of notices to voters under the “logical discrepancy” category.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana sought the poll panel’s response on the petition and directed it to indicate the immediate steps taken to address the concerns.
The matter was posted for further hearing after two weeks.
During the hearing, Justice Bagchi observed that some notices appeared to have been issued without adequate scrutiny and asked the ECI to examine whether additional safeguards were necessary. “In all probability, they are machine-generated notices. So, please examine whether some additional filters are necessary before issuing the notices,” Justice Bagchi observed.
The Supreme Court also stressed the need for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to assist voters who receive such notices and suggested that the poll body sensitise its field-level personnel to interact more closely with affected electors. It further suggested that the ECI could prepare a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help voters understand the SIR process and the procedure to respond to notices.
During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, raised concerns over the notices being issued to a large number of electors, contending that they did not adequately disclose the reasons or the steps required to be taken by affected voters.
The plea has particularly questioned the issuance of “logical discrepancy” notices during the Delhi SIR and sought disclosure of the criteria used to identify voters under the category.
The challenge comes against the backdrop of more than 47 lakh names being excluded from the draft electoral roll published on August 31, while over 33 lakh electors have been identified for issuance of such notices over discrepancies in their enumeration forms.
Representing the ECI, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu termed the plea premature and assured the CJI Kant-led Bench that the poll body was taking steps to address the concerns. “The reason is mentioned in every notice,” Naidu submitted.
The poll panel’s counsel further assured the Supreme Court that no voter would be deleted from the electoral roll without being given an opportunity of hearing. Responding to concerns over the manpower available to deal with the large number of notices, the senior counsel said the ECI had increased the number of personnel to clear the pendency.
Naidu also highlighted that the notices provide details of the concerned BLO whom a voter can approach for assistance.
The CJI Kant-led Bench was also informed that there was sufficient time to address any lapses in the Delhi SIR process as the national capital is not scheduled to go to the polls in the immediate future.
The ECI also indicated that the deadline for completing the process could be extended if required. The claims and objections process is presently underway, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on November 4.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer on Monday clarified that receiving an SIR notice does not mean that an elector’s name would be deleted from the final electoral roll. The CEO’s office said notices were being generated for two categories of voters whose names appeared in the draft roll -- those who could not be linked with the electoral roll of the last intensive revision and those having logical discrepancies in such linking.
It had also clarified that no name could be deleted without giving the concerned elector an opportunity of being heard and passing a proper speaking and appealable order.
The CEO had said eligible persons whose names were not present in the draft roll could file Form 6 with supporting documents during the claims and objections period. Special camps were also proposed to assist voters with the process.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana sought the poll panel’s response on the petition and directed it to indicate the immediate steps taken to address the concerns.
The matter was posted for further hearing after two weeks.
During the hearing, Justice Bagchi observed that some notices appeared to have been issued without adequate scrutiny and asked the ECI to examine whether additional safeguards were necessary. “In all probability, they are machine-generated notices. So, please examine whether some additional filters are necessary before issuing the notices,” Justice Bagchi observed.
The Supreme Court also stressed the need for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to assist voters who receive such notices and suggested that the poll body sensitise its field-level personnel to interact more closely with affected electors. It further suggested that the ECI could prepare a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help voters understand the SIR process and the procedure to respond to notices.
During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, raised concerns over the notices being issued to a large number of electors, contending that they did not adequately disclose the reasons or the steps required to be taken by affected voters.
The plea has particularly questioned the issuance of “logical discrepancy” notices during the Delhi SIR and sought disclosure of the criteria used to identify voters under the category.
The challenge comes against the backdrop of more than 47 lakh names being excluded from the draft electoral roll published on August 31, while over 33 lakh electors have been identified for issuance of such notices over discrepancies in their enumeration forms.
Representing the ECI, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu termed the plea premature and assured the CJI Kant-led Bench that the poll body was taking steps to address the concerns. “The reason is mentioned in every notice,” Naidu submitted.
The poll panel’s counsel further assured the Supreme Court that no voter would be deleted from the electoral roll without being given an opportunity of hearing. Responding to concerns over the manpower available to deal with the large number of notices, the senior counsel said the ECI had increased the number of personnel to clear the pendency.
Naidu also highlighted that the notices provide details of the concerned BLO whom a voter can approach for assistance.
The CJI Kant-led Bench was also informed that there was sufficient time to address any lapses in the Delhi SIR process as the national capital is not scheduled to go to the polls in the immediate future.
The ECI also indicated that the deadline for completing the process could be extended if required. The claims and objections process is presently underway, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on November 4.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer on Monday clarified that receiving an SIR notice does not mean that an elector’s name would be deleted from the final electoral roll. The CEO’s office said notices were being generated for two categories of voters whose names appeared in the draft roll -- those who could not be linked with the electoral roll of the last intensive revision and those having logical discrepancies in such linking.
It had also clarified that no name could be deleted without giving the concerned elector an opportunity of being heard and passing a proper speaking and appealable order.
The CEO had said eligible persons whose names were not present in the draft roll could file Form 6 with supporting documents during the claims and objections period. Special camps were also proposed to assist voters with the process.
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Note: The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the ap7am team.