'Take immediate remedial measures or halt SIR': Ex-CEC OP Rawat on West Bengal voter deletions

Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has called for immediate remedial measures over voter deletions in West Bengal, saying the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) should otherwise be halted.

"There were errors initially, and the matter even reached the courts," Rawat said. He said the Election Commission had made corrections along the way and that the SIR process was eventually completed through gradual improvements.

Must Read: 'All decisions taken unanimously': Election Commission denies dissent report on SIR

Rawat, who served as CEC from January to December 2018, said the exercise could continue if mistakes seen in earlier phases, including in Bihar and other states and cities, were avoided.

"If the mistakes made elsewhere - such as in the 12 states/cities and Bihar - are avoided and the process is carefully managed, the Election Commission can certainly continue with it,” he said.

The former CEC, however, singled out West Bengal, citing an Appellate Tribunal ruling on deleted voter names. "However, regarding West Bengal, the Appellate Tribunal ruled that 93 per cent of those whose names were deleted were genuine voters who were deprived of their right to vote," he said.

"This amounts to criminal negligence," Rawat said, adding that the Election Commission must take immediate remedial measures. "Otherwise, the entire SIR process should be halted."

EC says decisions were unanimous

Rawat's comments came as questions emerged over decision-making within the three-member Election Commission during the SIR exercise.

The Indian Express reported on Tuesday that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders they said were taken without their knowledge. The objections included issues related to voter deletions and the handling of the voter database.

According to a PTI report, EC officials said on Wednesday that the two commissioners had flagged multiple issues during the voter-roll cleanup, including deletion of names in various states. But they maintained that decisions of the Election Commission, including those related to the pan-India SIR, were unanimous and had the approval of all three commissioners.

Officials also said the law governing the EC and a Supreme Court judgment provide that decisions should, as far as possible, be taken unanimously and that a majority view should prevail when needed.

The national rollout of the SIR has been under the supervision of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi.

The Indian Express report said Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections on record at least 14 times, including four times on a single day.