NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (December 9) pulled up the Election Commission of India (ECI) for providing “mechanical and cyclostyled” responses to genuine voter grievances, raising serious questions about the procedural integrity of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant voiced the court’s exasperation at the ECI’s tendency to use abstract statistics to parry the practical difficulties faced by citizens. The rebuke from the top court has brought into focus a growing body of evidence – from independent investigations in Bihar to the ECI’s own admissions – suggesting that the push for statistical targets has come at the cost of accuracy, the safety of ground staff, and the correctness of the voter list itself.
The court was hearing applications seeking an extension of the deadline for submitting enumeration forms in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Applicants argued that migrant workers in hilly regions and students studying outside their home states were unable to meet the December 11 cut off. In Tamil Nadu, the situation is compounded by the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage, with many voters expected to return only by mid-January.
