Social Audit for SIR 2.0

Why in News?

• ECI initiated Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2.0 across 12 States/UTs to reverify voter eligibility.
• The article warned that the Bihar experience shows potential mass disenfranchisement, particularly of women, Muslims, and migrants, threatening the integrity of electoral democracy.

Relevance :

• GS2: Polity & Governance
  • Electoral reforms, electoral roll accuracy
  • ECI’s constitutional mandate, independence & accountability
  • Social audits (constitutional backing: Local Bodies, transparency)

What is Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?

• A documentation-heavy re-verification of existing voters.
• Requires fresh submission of documents proving:
  • Identity
  • Address (ordinary residence)
  • Age eligibility
• Intended purpose: clean rolls, remove duplicates, update migrant data.
• Problem: No specific Rules, procedural clarity, or transparent oversight mechanism under existing electoral law.

Legal Framework: Electoral Roll Revision

• Governed by Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Section 19: Person must be “ordinarily resident” to be enrolled.
• Section 20: Defines “ordinaryresidence”, but outdated; does not recognise:
  • Long-term migrants
  • Short-term/seasonal workers
  • Circular migrants
• SIR’s reliance on strict documentation → risks excluding these groups.

Bihar Case Study: What Went Wrong?

Evidence of Disenfranchisement

• Sharp drop in adult–elector ratio.
• Large-scale deletions of women and Muslim voters.
• Duplicate names, bogus entries, inconsistent deletions.
• People unable to produce documents → lost voting rights.

Why It Became Controversial ?

• Exercise resembled a citizenship screening regime, not voter roll maintenance.
• Heavy burden placed on citizens rather than ECI/BLOs.
• Led to fear of stealth NRC-like filtration through electoral rolls.

Institutional Issues Raised

Election Commission of India (ECI)

• Allegations of:
  • Lack of transparency
  • Defensive posture in court filings
  • Avoiding scrutiny
  • Prioritising institutional authority over inclusive roll preparation
• Perception of declining impartiality and institutional credibility.

Supreme Court

• Monitored the exercise but:
  • Avoided ruling on legality of SIR powers.
  • Allowed SIR to continue despite procedural deficiencies.
  • Mitigated small inequities but did not address structural flaws.
• Risk of legitimising an unconstitutional framework with discriminatory outcomes.

Vulnerability of Internal Migrants

• India has 450+ million internal migrants (Census projection-based estimates).
• Tamil Nadu flagged as a major concern due to high migrant worker population.
• Strict interpretation of “ordinary residence” → mass exclusions.
• SIR does not differentiate between types of migrants, leading to:
  • Loss of franchise
  • Distorted voter representation
  • Urban–industrial disenfranchisement

Democratic Implications

• Universal adult franchise depends on:
  • Automatic, accurate enrollment
  • No arbitrary deletions
  • No documentation barriers
• SIR introduces burdens that shift responsibility from the State to citizens.
• High non-participation already exists: 30–40% do not vote; forcing reapplications worsens exclusion.

Need for Mandatory Social Audit

Concept

• Community-based verification of public records.
• Ensures transparency, accountability, and participation.

Constitutional & Institutional Backing

• Articles 243A & 243J empower community monitoring.
• CAG formally endorses social audits as essential for mass programmes.

Advantages for Electoral Roll Verification

• Ground-level correction by:
  • Gram sabhas
  • Ward sabhas
  • Booth-level committees
• Ensures:
  • Minimal manipulation
  • Maximum inclusion
  • Real-time correction of errors

Historical Precedent (2003 Experiment)

• Conducted under CEC J.M. Lyngdoh.
• Decentralised social audits in 5 poll-bound States.
• In Rajasthan alone:
  • 7 lakh corrections made after public audit.
• Demonstrated best practice for inclusive and transparent roll revision.

Article’s Recommendation

• ECI must:
  • Frame clear Rules for SIR.
  • Make social audit mandatory.
  • Consult civil society, political parties, and rights groups.
  • Ensure that SIR 2.0 does not replicate Bihar’s exclusions.

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