The Congress party on Wednesday strongly criticized the Supreme Court's judgment on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that it failed to address several major flaws and contradictions in the Election Commission's (EC) process. According to the party, these shortcomings have deprived crores of citizens of their voting rights. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi stated that the judicial challenge by political parties and civil society focused on the EC's conduct rather than the legal validity of the SIR.
Key Concerns Raised by Congress
Singhvi highlighted that the SIR process has raised serious doubts about the credibility of elections. He pointed out that up to 80% of challenges against voter exclusions in West Bengal have been successful so far. If this trend continues, millions of voters may have been disenfranchised in recent polls. He emphasized that the judgment was riddled with contradictions, as it did not address glaring errors in the SIR process observed across different states over the past few months.
Issues with Aadhaar and Citizenship
Singhvi noted that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship and that the EC cannot adjudicate on citizenship matters. However, lakhs of individuals were excluded from electoral rolls based on citizenship issues, relying on documents such as ration cards and parents' date of birth, which the SIR demanded. He argued that this was a significant inconsistency.
Unreasonably Short Deadlines
Another major concern raised was the excessively short deadline imposed by the EC for the SIR process, which affected crores of people. This led to massive exclusions, and elections were conducted before these issues could be adjudicated. Singhvi remarked that the court should have considered this critical aspect.
TMC's Perspective
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee added that the SIR judgment was specific to the Bihar case and should not be treated as an all-India ruling. He asserted that the issues raised in Bengal were entirely different from those in Bihar.
