Onus on SC to protect faith in democracy, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) undertook a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, aiming to purge discrepancies.
• In West Bengal, the ECI identified six million voters for special treatment based on "logical discrepancy".
• 2.7 million electors were reportedly deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal following the SIR process.
• Concerns have been raised about the fairness and impact of the ECI's methodology on voter rights.

Detailed Insights:

• The ECI's SIR aimed to purge the electoral roll, but its methodology in West Bengal led to concerns about disenfranchisement.
• The term "logical discrepancy" was used to identify voters for special treatment, leading to large-scale deletions.
• The Supreme Court's (SC) involvement and consent in the process have raised questions about the protection of voter rights.
• Critics argue that the ECI's actions may discourage citizen participation and undermine the principle of "no voter to be left behind".
• There are concerns that the ECI's focus on increasing poll percentage might now rely on lowering the denominator through large-scale deletions.
• The author suggests the ECI's actions risk making people apathetic towards the electoral process, which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court has the opportunity to address the concerns and protect the constitutional rights of those affected by the SIR process.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Democide: Government actions that result in the death of a certain number of people.
• Disenfranchisement: The state of being deprived of a right or privilege, especially the right to vote.
• Election Commission of India (ECI): Constitutional body responsible for administering elections in India.