New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS): Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had clearly stated that the Supreme Court had not approved any modification to Form 6, used for inclusion of names in electoral rolls.
His remarks came as the INDIA bloc MPs, holding Tricolours and banners reading ‘Save Democracy’, were staging a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in the national capital, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest also comes a day after CJI Surya Kant clarified that the Supreme Court had not approved any modified version of Form 6 for inclusion of names in electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The clarification was made while hearing a petition seeking the prosecution of CEC Kumar.
Speaking to reporters, Chidambaram said, “The BJP cannot read Hindi or English. The CJI clearly denied approving any modifications to Form 6. He said that once, and that is being broadcast several times,” Chidambaram told reporters.
Chidambaram said the CJI’s statement had been made in open court and questioned how the BJP could deny it.
“He said this is an open court… How can the BJP blatantly deny this? The CJI clearly said that we do not approve Form 6. I have seen the declaration. The declaration is indeed a modification and addition to Form 6. Addition also means modification,” he said.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also criticised the SIR exercise, calling it “unconstitutional and ultra vires”.
“This entire SIR exercise is unconstitutional and ultra vires. Decisions in the Election Commission have to be taken either unanimously by all three Election Commissioners or by a majority. It appears that the Chief Election Commissioner has been taking decisions unilaterally,” Karti Chidambaram said.
He alleged that the exercise had been designed to exclude voters rather than facilitate their inclusion.
“The entire SIR exercise has been engineered to exclude voters, not to include them. Form 6 has been changed. The questions asked in Form 6 are ultra vires,” he said.
Karti Chidambaram questioned the relevance of asking applicants whether their parents had been voters.
“The questions being asked are whether their parents were voters. These should not be the questions asked. Your right to vote is not dependent on whether your parents were voters or not. As long as you are an Indian citizen, are above 18 years of age and are a resident of a constituency, you have the right to vote. This is a fundamental right, and that is being denied,” he told IANS.
He also raised concerns about the alleged misuse of Form 7, which is used for the deletion of names from electoral rolls in cases where voters have died or shifted from an address.
“It is not meant for mass deletion by political activists. It has been brought to light that in one incident in Karnataka, BJP workers filed 7,000 applications through Form 7 to delete voters. This is a complete abuse of the process,” he said.
“Ultra vires activities have been carried out in the name of SIR. That is why we are asking the CEC to resign. Even the conscience of the judiciary is now stirred, which is why notices have been issued. Former judges and sitting judges are raising concerns. So, this is not a political or partisan issue, but an issue concerning the people,” he added.
