Former law minister Ashwini Kumar supports SC Justice Bhuyan's critique of mass disenfranchisement. However, former judge Lokpal Singh defends the ECI's voter list revisions, citing the need to remove illegal entries in border states.
'A Reflection of the Nation's Conscience'
Former law minister Ashwini Kumar on Monday voiced strong agreement with the remarks made by Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan regarding citizens' voting rights, describing the remarks as a reflection of the national conscience regarding mass disenfranchisement.
Speaking to ANI, he stressed that it is imperative for democracy and all political parties to ensure that electoral processes are transparent and fair. "Justice Bhuyan’s observations reflect the nation's conscience regarding mass disenfranchisement. It is indeed a sad day for Indian democracy that crores of people have been disenfranchised through processes whose legal validity has come under severe scrutiny and doubt. It is, therefore, imperative for Indian democracy, and for political parties, to ensure that electoral processes are transparent and fair, and that the sanctity of the individual vote is preserved at all costs," he said.
A Different Perspective on Voter List Revisions
Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand High Court judge Lokpal Singh offered a different perspective. He defended the Election Commission's (ECI) routine procedures, pointing out the necessity of removing illegal entries, particularly in border states. "As far as intensive revision of votes is concerned, it is a normal process. The Election Commission of India is engaged in this process throughout the year for adding or deleting the names of the voters. Intensive revisions should be done," he noted.
Further, he highlighted the infiltration in States like Bihar and West Bengal, adding that the "ECI can see better." "So far as gross deletion of names is concerned, it is the ECI that can see it better. It's always easy to say that thousands of votes have been deleted. But particularly in States like Bihar and West Bengal, adjoining Bangladesh, the infiltration cannot be denied. So many fake votes are there," he said.
He said that many institutions attack the SIR process, questioning the bulk deletion of names from the voter list. However, it is due to the intervention of the central government that the regime has changed in West Bengal. "So many institutions are coming forward saying, 'Yes, a bulk of voters have been deleted in Bihar or West Bengal.' I feel that no one can deny the infiltration from West Bengal. So, a change of govt is one part. I feel that no one should blame the Central government, saying that due to their intervention in West Bengal, the regime has changed," he said.
The Remark That Sparked the Debate
The remarks came after Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan noted that any procedure that leads to the disenfranchisement of millions of citizens and turning individuals into "second-class citizens" without voting rights is "intrinsically arbitrary". "If any process results in disenfranchising millions and millions of Indian citizens, making them second-class citizens in their own country, in the sense of being citizens without a voting right, such a process is intrinsically arbitrary. No amount of whataboutery can justify it," he said. (ANI)
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