Forty-two former judges have warned against attempts to undermine the Election Commission and other constitutional institutions, as protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensify across India. The intervention comes amid opposition demonstrations demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and alleging irregularities in the voter-list revision. The Election Commission has rejected the allegations, while the Supreme Court continues to examine aspects of the SIR process.
Judges Back SIR, Warn Against Attacks
In their open letter, the former judges questioned allegations of “vote theft” made without supporting evidence and warned against repeatedly branding constitutional authorities as “thieves” or “compromised”.
“Criticism of institutions is a democratic right. Denigration is not,” the signatories said.
They defended SIR as a legally established exercise aimed at maintaining accurate electoral rolls, while urging political parties to pursue grievances through constitutional and judicial channels.
“Trust is the currency of democracy,” the letter said, warning that efforts to delegitimise elections could fuel unrest and embolden “anarchic elements”.
Also Read: ‘Rahul Gandhi Desperate To Come To Power’: BJP Accuses Congress Of Plotting ‘Anarchy’
Protests Put CEC Under Pressure
The letter comes as Congress and other opposition parties have taken their campaign against the Election Commission to the streets.
Protests have been held in Delhi and other parts of the country, with opposition leaders demanding Kumar’s resignation and accusing the poll panel of failing to adequately address concerns surrounding voter-list revisions. Several protesters and opposition lawmakers have been detained during demonstrations in the capital.
The controversy centres on fears that SIR could result in legitimate voters being excluded from electoral rolls, particularly where citizens face difficulties producing the required documents. The Election Commission maintains that the exercise is intended to identify eligible voters while removing duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries.
The dispute has also moved into the courts, with the Supreme Court scrutinising aspects of the commission’s handling of the revision.
Also Read: ‘Narendra Modi Vote Chor’: Dipke Targets PM As Dhruv Rathee, Prakash Raj Join Bengaluru Protest
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
