ITANAGAR, 27 Sep: The Human Rights of Arunachal (HRA) has expressed serious concern over the ongoing controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission of India under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The HRA called for immediate removal of the chief election commissioner from office and an independent legal inquiry into the decisions and procedures followed during the SIR exercise.
"Any further action, including arrest, should be taken only if an independent investigation establishes a cognisable offence and the competent legal authorities determine that such action is warranted," the HRA stated in a release.
According to an investigation published by The Indian Express, the HRA said, the SIR exercise has resulted in more than 13 crore names being struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories.
The organisation stated that it is particularly concerned that the deletion of names from electoral rolls, if carried out incorrectly, could affect the constitutional and statutory rights of eligible citizens to participate in elections.
The HRA demanded an independent and transparent inquiry into the SIR process and the large-scale deletion of names from draft electoral rolls, full disclosure of state/UT-wise and constituency-wise deletion data, effective notice and appeal mechanisms for every eligible elector whose name has been deleted or flagged, independent verification of the electoral roll database and software systems, publication of relevant orders, and a review of the objections reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, including their concerns regarding electoral roll management and software systems.
It also demanded appropriate constitutional and legal action against any person found, after due process and independent investigation, to have deliberately violated election law or unlawfully interfered with the electoral rights of citizens.
"If an independent investigation establishes offences warranting criminal proceedings against any official, the competent investigating and judicial authorities should take action strictly according to law," HRA chairman Kipa Kaha said.
He said that the integrity of India's electoral rolls is fundamental to public confidence in a democracy. Hence, the issue should not be reduced merely to a political confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition, he said.
"The central question is whether every eligible citizen is being provided a fair, transparent and legally protected opportunity to remain on the electoral roll and exercise the right to vote," he said.
The organisation called upon the ECI, Parliament, the judiciary, political parties, civilsociety organisations and citizens to ensure that the SIR process is subjected to the highest standards of transparency, accountability, due process, and independent verification.
