Secure instructions over SIR procedures: HC to ECI

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The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India’s counsel to get instructions in a writ petition seeking to declare issuing of notices to voters as part of Special Intensive Revision over minor discrepancies in the names recorded in SIR of 2002.

A bench of Justices P. Sam Koshy and Narsing Rao Nandikonda heard the writ petition filed by two citizens S.Q. Masood and Syed Wahid Uddin. The two petitioners contended that the ECI officials adopted methods other than those accepted by law for identifying anomalies and dissimilarities for inclusion of citizens in the final voter list.

Both the petitioners claimed that they received notices on the ground that there was a mismatch between the names of their respective fathers as mentioned in the current electoral roll and the previous SIR. According to them, the authorities were using an Artificial Intelligence based data-matching platform integrated with the ECINet/ERONET system.

Such mechanical identification and failure to follow the prescribed procedure made mockery of the entire process and undermined the basic framework of the Constitution, they contended. The bench adjourned the matter to October 13 for next hearing.

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