The Congress party on Wednesday criticized the Supreme Court's judgment on the Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR), stating that it failed to address a series of major flaws and contradictions in the Election Commission's process. According to the Congress, these issues have deprived crores of citizens of their voting rights. The party clarified that the judicial challenge by political parties and civil society focused on the EC's conduct rather than the legal validity of the SIR process.
Congress Spokesperson's Remarks
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, addressing a press conference, asserted that the SIR process has raised serious questions about the credibility of elections. He highlighted that up to 80% of challenges to voter exclusions in West Bengal have been successful so far. If this success rate is sustained, millions of voters may have been denied their voting rights in recent polls.
Contradictions in the Judgment
Singhvi pointed out that the judgment was riddled with contradictions, as it did not mention glaring errors and flaws in the SIR process observed over the past few months across various states. He noted that the Supreme Court had earlier ruled that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship and that the EC cannot adjudicate on citizenship issues. However, lakhs of people were excluded from the rolls based on citizenship questions, using documents such as ration cards and parents' dates of birth, which the SIR demanded.
Short Deadlines and Exclusions
Singhvi also criticized the EC for imposing excessively short deadlines for the SIR process, affecting crores of people. This led to massive exclusions, and elections were held before appeals could be adjudicated. He remarked that the court should have considered this issue.
TMC's Response
TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee stated that the Supreme Court's judgment was confined to the Bihar case and could not be treated as an all-India ruling. He emphasized that the issues raised in Bengal were completely different from those in Bihar.
