NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the government and Election Commission of India (ECI) over decisions linked to a major revision of voter rolls.
The revision has triggered protests and allegations that millions of names were improperly removed from electoral lists. The ECI has rejected the claims.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued notices to the government, ECI and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Another hearing is expected next week.
“Newspaper reports may be 100 percent correct, partially correct or incorrect. We cannot pass an order on that basis today. We would definitely want their response. If we find there were instances where law wasn’t followed, we can undo it,” NDTV quoted the bench as saying.
The ECI says the revision aims to identify fraudulent registrations and prevent “foreign illegal immigrants” from voting, while critics say the exercise has disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities.
Opposition Congress has announced a protest march to the Election Commission’s offices in New Delhi, followed by nationwide “Save Democracy” rallies.