100 former civil servants urge ECI to scrap controversial SIR
Warn exercise could undermine universal adult suffrage and India’s democratic fabric
New Delhi: A group of 100 former All-India and Central Services civil servants, under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group, has called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to scrap the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In their latest statement, the former civil servants said that the controversial exercise had resulted in widespread concerns over voter disenfranchisement through bulk deletions, arbitrary additions, inadequate documentation, partisan instructions and unreasonable demands on citizens.
They said placing the burden of proving citizenship on voters exceeded the Election Commission’s constitutional mandate and lacked constitutional justification. They warned that the exercise would weaken India’s plural democratic fabric.
In their open letter, the former civil servants said they had closely followed media reports on what they described as the “havoc” caused by the SIR exercise and had interacted with disenfranchised individuals as well as seasoned civil servants with experience of working in the Election Commission and handling the election process at different levels.
“After a great deal of deliberation, we have come to the inescapable conclusion that the SIR exercise needs to be scrapped lest it undermine our commitment to universal adult suffrage, seriously damage the reputation of the ECI, and make a mockery of our democracy,” they said.
They further said, that numerous instances of “bulk deletions, absurd additions, sloppy documentation, partisan instructions and unreasonable harassment to citizens have come to light” through individual as well as well-researched examinations of the process. “The SIR, which has placed the burden of proof of citizenship on the voters, is transgressive and without any constitutional justification,” they said.
The former civil servants also questioned the ECI’s decision-making, saying the commission had yet to inform the public whether the decision to undertake the SIR was taken by it on its own, or at the behest of the government.
They said the ECI should, in the first instance, scrap the SIR altogether and revert to the long-established procedures for registration of electors provided by the rules in order to discharge its constitutional mandate and protect its historic dignity and reputation for impartiality.
This open letter came a day after police in various parts of India, especially New Delhi, brutally manhandled and detained protesters asking for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
