New Delhi: A fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding an independent probe into the overall functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Filed by Advocate Vishal Tiwari, the public interest litigation seeks the formation of an expert committee, ideally headed by a former Chief Justice of India (CJI), to investigate alleged shortcomings in the poll panel’s operations and recommend comprehensive electoral reforms.
The petition specifically requests the apex court to direct the ECI to enforce a strict and absolute ban on the use of religious identities, communal appeals, religious symbols, and hate speech during election campaigns. Emphasising the need for systemic improvements, the petitioner explicitly clarified that the plea is not aimed at any specific political party or individual office-bearer, nor does it challenge the outcome of any recently concluded elections. The primary objective, the plea states, is to ensure absolute fairness, neutrality, and transparency in future democratic exercises.
Highlighting significant anomalies in electoral data management, the petition cited a recent report regarding the draft voter list in Maharashtra. Due to a reported technical glitch involving birth years, the ages of 2,70,313 voters were mistakenly recorded as being between 101 and 150 years. The plea raised serious concerns that making large-scale modifications or “corrections” to electoral rolls without concrete safeguards and robust rules could lead to the arbitrary deletion and exclusion of genuine voters.
Furthermore, the petition has called for a thorough technical and procedural review of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). It urged an investigation into the core technology, working mechanisms, and regulatory protocols governing EVMs to determine whether they genuinely align with stringent global standards and international best practices.
This legal development comes against the backdrop of recent media reports suggesting alleged internal friction within the top brass of the Election Commission. According to these reports, there have been differences of opinion between Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and the other Election Commissioners regarding key election-related decisions. The Supreme Court is yet to assign a date to hear the matter.