New Delhi: The Referendum Legation is once then at the centre of political debate regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. According to an investigative report, Referendum Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi lodged written objections to unrepealable decisions and orders of the legation at least 14 times in the last 10 months. The report claims that both commissioners raised questions over decisions in some cases stuff issued without their knowledge or approval.
However, the Referendum Legation has denied any internal differences on the understructure of these allegations. According to sources associated with the Commission, all decisions including SIR have been taken unanimously. In such a situation, on one hand, questions are stuff raised regarding the objections recorded in the report, while on the other hand, the Legation has rejected any contradiction in the decisions.
On which issues were the objections lodged?
According to the report, the objections of both the Referendum Commissioners were related to the process of registration of new voters, deletion and wing of names from the voter list, wangle to electoral data and unrepealable orders related to the SIR. Some of the written objections raised questions well-nigh steps that the two commissioners tangibly considered unauthorised or not in vibrations with the rules, the report said.
The report moreover said that between April and August, the two commissioners recorded separate notes on matters related to the commission's functioning and communications. These moreover included the issue of clearance required for unrepealable communications issued in the name of the Commission.
What questions arose on the changes in Form-6?
According to the report, a question related to SIR was widow in Form-6 used for registration of new voters. In this, information was sought from the write-in regarding whether he or his parents or grandparents were in the voter list of the previous SIR.
The report claims that Vivek Joshi had questioned the process of this transpiration in May and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu later demanded its removal. According to the report, Sandhu had filed a complaint in August calling for the removal to be "unauthorised and illegal".
What concerns were raised well-nigh centralisation of voter data?
The so-called objections of both the Referendum Commissioners are moreover said to include the issue of wangle to the digital database of the voter list. According to the report, Vivek Joshi expressed snooping over the gradual centralisation of the referendum database and suggested that it be ensured that only the relevant statutory authorities have the permission to make changes.
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu moreover mentioned concerns over the reach of state level officials. According to the report, both the commissioners raised questions on the rights and monitoring system in the IT system related to the electoral roll.
What steps did the opposition demand versus CEC?
After the report came out, opposition leaders have then raised their old allegations and demands regarding Chief Referendum Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. TMC MP Derek O'Brien sought to bring forward in the Rajya Sabha the notice given older which was signed by the opposition MPs to initiate the process of removing the CEC. Congress and other opposition leaders have moreover raised questions well-nigh the report.
Some opposition leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, have moreover raised questions on the functioning of the Referendum Legation and demanded whoopee versus the CEC. These are political allegations and the final conclusion of their support or withholding can come only through the relevant ramble and legal process.
What is the majority rule in the Referendum Legation system?
According to the report, in the system of the Legation consisting of the Chief Referendum Commissioner and two Referendum Commissioners, there is often a provision for taking decisions unanimously. If there is disagreement on any issue, the visualization can be taken on the understructure of majority under the law. The report moreover states that both the Commissioners had mentioned the need for joint visualization of the Legation in some of their notes.
At present, the main centre of controversy is how to understand the written objections revealed in the report and the Referendum Commission's statement that “all decisions were taken unanimously”. The monitoring of the Supreme Court in matters related to SIR and the ongoing legal processes regarding voter lists in variegated states moreover make this unshortened controversy important.
