As has been recorded in the Constitution and repeatedly asserted by the ECI, the electoral roll is a document of the bona fide citizens of this country, and only those who are citizens of the country need to be on it
The reports of the claims of booth level officers in Bihar that they have found people from the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal have procured documents to prove their nationality here as per the demands of the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters’ list and Election Commission of India (ECI) directing chief electoral officers (CEOs) of all states to start preparations for holding SIRs point to the high level of diligence with which the authorities need to approach the issue of the purification of the electoral roll.
As has been recorded in the Constitution and repeatedly asserted by the ECI, the electoral roll is a document of the bona fide citizens of this country, and only those who are citizens of the country need to be on it. Since the holding of a fair and free election based on a proper electoral roll is part of the foundations of electoral democracy, the ECI should do all in its powers to ensure that every component of the process is error-free and foolproof.
However, what defies logic has been pointed out by the Supreme Court: One, even an educated urban dweller will find it difficult to present the documents the EC has demanded to prove one’s identity in such a short notice, and two, it is the job of the home ministry, and not the Election Commission, to verify one’s citizenship. Read them together, and the directive of the EC to the state CEOs, would point to an unwarranted haste on the part of the poll panel to go about the SIR exercise.
While it remains a legitimate target of the EC to keep the electoral roll a sanctified document, it should think of doing the job in a citizen-friendly fashion instead of handing over the burden of proof to the people who are already on their rolls. Is it not possible for the commission to scrutinise the rolls and find out the names, if any, which should not be there, instead of asking all those who are there around to prove their bona fides? Is it not possible to have a scrutiny at the time of enrollment? Why should the Election Commission take upon its shoulders the scrutiny of the citizenship of the people on its rolls?
The finding in Bihar that ‘foreigners’ have procured documents will run the entire exercise into more trouble, and question its very purpose. It also points to the callous manner in which government agencies go about the data of citizens they procure.
The attorney-general was forced to admit in the Supreme Court about unacceptable data protection mechanisms of the Unique Identification Authority of India which issues Aadhaar numbers.
If the government wants to end this free-for-all, it must work with all the stakeholders taking into account the reality of India where a large section of people will have no document to prove their very existence, let alone their citizenship. It must be a patient, people-friendly inclusive exercise. A summary revision in lighting speed has all the chances of disenfranchising people.
Even if it affects a single citizen, it will undermine the credibility of the entire roll. Be slow, be steady and be inclusive. Deadlines are not more sacrosanct than people’s right to exist.
