UKHRUL: A petition was filed to the Supreme Court by Mrinal Kumar Choudhury, former President of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association.
It challenged the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out a “Special Revision” of electoral rolls in Assam instead of a ‘Special Intensive Revision” (SIR).
SIR is a process conducted by the ECI in which every eligible voter’s details are verified, with efforts made to remove duplicate, fake or incorrect entries.
According to the petition, the ECI has acted in a discriminatory manner by directing a lower form of revision for Assam while conducting Special Intensive Revision in Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
The petitioner argued that this approach contradicts the Election Commission’s own position reflected in its Bihar SIR order and in the oath taken before the top court to conduct Special Intensive Revision across the country.
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The petition further highlights the seriousness of the situation in Assam by citing the report of former Assam Governor Lt. General S.K. Sinha and the statement of then Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta, both of whom noted that as early as 1997, between “40 to 50 lakh illegal immigrants” were estimated to be living in the State.
The petitioner claims that lakhs of illegal immigrants continue to reside in the State and their names have already been included in the existing electoral roll.
According to the petition, unless a Special Intensive Revision is conducted, these persons could acquire voting rights in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Disclaimer: All information in this article is drawn from publicly available sources and/or insights provided by the experts consulted.