Two ECs stand up to ask; CEC must answer, SC must not turn away, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, formally objected 14 times in 10 months to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
• Their concerns, including changes to Form 6 for new voters and centralization of the voter database, were not addressed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
• The SIR process led to the deletion of 13 crore names from draft voter rolls nationwide and disenfranchised 27 lakh voters in West Bengal.
• The Supreme Court's role in scrutinizing the ECI's process and its initial reluctance to intervene effectively has been highlighted.

Detailed Insights:

• The Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a process to update electoral rolls, was criticized for shifting the burden of proof onto voters, making the process difficult.
• Concerns were raised that the opaque nature of the SIR was akin to a "citizenship test," potentially affecting access to government benefits.
• The Election Commissioners appealed to the Cabinet Secretary after their internal objections within the ECI went unheeded.
• Changes to Form 6 were seen as making voter registration more punitive and potentially linking new voter applications to the deletion of parents' names.
• The article suggests the ECI's actions during the SIR deviated from its established traditions of voter inclusion and accessibility.
• The Supreme Court had previously directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar as a document and provide reasons for deletions in Bihar.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Election Commission of India (ECI): A permanent constitutional body responsible for the superintendence, direction, and control of elections in India.
• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A comprehensive exercise conducted by the ECI to update and purify electoral rolls by removing ineligible voters and adding eligible ones.
• Form 6: The official application form used by eligible Indian residents to apply for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll for the first time.
• Cabinet Secretary: The highest-ranking executive official and senior-most civil servant in the Government of India, heading the Civil Services Board and Cabinet Secretariat.