Karnataka High Court adjourns till July 28 further hearing on plea seeking extension of SIR deadline in State
The High Court of Karnataka adjourned till July 28 further hearing on a PIL petition seeking direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to
The High Court of Karnataka adjourned till July 28 further hearing on a PIL petition seeking direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend each phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka from one to three months. The petition has been filed by writer Devanura Mahadeva, historian Ramachandra Guha, Major General (Retired) S.G. Vobatkere, and former vice-chancellor of Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women’s University Sabiha Bhoomigowda. On July 27, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha, briefly heard the arguments of Senior Advocate Vikram Huilgol, appearing for the petitioners.
As the advocate for the petitioners, in response to a query raised by the bench on certain guidelines issued by the apex court on SIR, sought time till July 28 to provide the guidelines, the bench adjourned further hearing. The petitioners have sought direction to establish functional voter facilitation centres at every polling booth while pointing out that existing centres are insufficient. Further, the petitioners have sought a direction to the ECI to publish a complete set of criteria that would result in a voter being flagged for a ‘logical discrepancy’, such as minor spelling or age mismatches, while urging that no such flag should be applied without prior notice to the elector, and a reasonable opportunity to respond to the notice before excluding the name from the draft roll.
The petitioners have sought a direction to the ECI clarify what falls within the ‘others’ sub-category of the absentee, shifted, dead and duplicate classification, and that no elector’s name be excluded from the draft electoral rolls under this sub-category without disclosure and recording specific
reasons, which must be communicated to the elector. In addition, the petitioners have sought a direction to the government of Karnataka not to withdraw any social welfare scheme from individuals who would not be included in the final voter rolls after competition of the SIR.
The BriefWire