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Showing posts with the label Electoral Reform

Supreme Court on ECI’s Powers During Voter Roll Revision: Citizenship Determination vs. Electoral Integrity

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The Supreme Court’s latest observations during the petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar raise important constitutional and statutory questions. The core issue is whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) can inquire into "doubtful citizenship" while revising electoral rolls, without assuming the authority to declare someone a citizen or non-citizen. Issue 1: Court Clarifies ECI Is Not Claiming Power to Determine Citizenship The Supreme Court clarified that the ECI has not claimed any constitutional authority to decide citizenship. The bench noted: ECI’s question is not about declaring someone a citizen or non-citizen, but about whether it can conduct inquisitorial inquiries into doubtful entries during voter roll revision. The bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked: If an electoral roll has doubtful inclusions, would it not fall within ECI’s constitutional mandate to investigate? This sets th...

Plea in Supreme Court Seeks Re-election in 20 Vidhan Sabha Seats in Haryana Due to EVM Discrepancies

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Plea in Supreme Court Seeks Re-election in 20 Vidhan Sabha Seats in Haryana Due to EVM Discrepancies Introduction A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court of India  demanding re-election in 20 assembly constituencies in Haryana . The petition alleges suspicious election results and discrepancies in the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used during the state legislative assembly elections in 2024. The plea, filed by petitioners Priya Mishra  and Vikas Bansal , claims that irregularities in EVM battery levels and functioning compromised the integrity of the election process, calling for a fresh round of voting in the affected constituencies. Details of the Petition The petition, filed through advocate Narendra Mishra , calls for re-elections in the specified constituencies, citing inconsistencies in EVM operations. It alleges that certain EVMs used during the counting of votes on October 8, 2024 , were operating at varying battery levels, ranging from 99% t...