MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday agreed to urgently hear a petition challenging the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, days after reports about an internal rift within the three-member Election Commission of India (ECI) over how the exercise is being conducted.
The reported objections relate to decisions on the registration of new voters, the deletion and restoration of names from electoral rolls, appeals against the inclusion or deletion of electors, and the control of the electoral roll database and related information technology systems, according to the petition. “What is urgent about it? Is it a PIL?
Since it’s a writ petition, what private right do you have against the Election Commission?” the bench said, while posting the matter for hearing on October 22.
A division bench of chief justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and justice Advait Sethna posted it for hearing on October 5 after the petitioners’ lawyers said the matter was urgent. At least 2.1 crore citizens’ names are likely to be deleted from the state’s voter list,” their counsel told the court. Where the doubt remains, the matter must be referred to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the electoral consequence must abide by its decision,” the petition, filed through advocates Prakash Ambedkar, Hemant Ghadigaonkar, Sandesh More and Hitendra Gandhi, states.
“There is extreme urgency in this matter, which raises an important issue about the rights of citizens. “The petitioners do not seek to stop the SIR or to disturb this programme. The ECI may make a limited electoral assessment but cannot conclusively determine citizenship. The petition also alleges that the ECI’s instructions do not require voters to submit documents during the enumeration process, yet Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been asking citizens to provide supporting documents when collecting enumeration forms.
The petition before the principal bench in Mumbai was taken up on Monday.
