Election Commissioner Warns Against Harassment of Citizens as Final SIR Order Omits Citizenship Act Reference

Election Commissioner Warns of Harassment Risks in Nationwide Voter Verification Drive

Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu’s internal note has brought to light a significant procedural shift within the Election Commission of India (ECI), revealing caution and last-minute amendments surrounding the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The process, which began with Bihar on June 24, has sparked questions about transparency, intent, and the omission of a crucial legal reference.

EC Sandhu’s Caution: Ensure No Harassment of Genuine Citizens

On June 24—the same day the SIR order was issued—Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu recorded a strong note of caution in the draft version of the order. According to documents reviewed by The Indian Express, Sandhu stressed that the Commission must safeguard vulnerable groups during the verification drive.

“Care should be taken that genuine voters/citizens, particularly old, sick, PwD, poor and other vulnerable groups do not feel harassed and are facilitated,” Sandhu wrote in the file.

His caution was seen as a response to the requirement for all existing electors to fill out enumeration forms and, in some cases, provide additional documents to prove their eligibility — a step criticized by some as burdensome.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar subsequently signed off on the file, and in an unusual move indicating urgency, the draft order received final approval on WhatsApp on the very same day.

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Final Order Removes Citizenship Act References

While the draft order linked the SIR directly to the Citizenship Act, 1955 — and particularly the amendments made in 2003–04 — these references were removed from the final version made public that evening.

In the draft, Paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6 justified the SIR by citing changes in the Citizenship Act and emphasized the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that only Indian citizens are included in the electoral roll.

However, the final order dropped this link entirely.

Instead, it referred only to Article 326 of the Constitution, which stipulates that only Indian citizens are eligible to vote. The revised version reads:

“Whereas, one of the fundamental pre-conditions set out in Article 326 of the Constitution is that a person is required to be an Indian citizen, for his/her name to be registered in the electoral roll. Consequently, the Commission has a constitutional obligation to ensure that only persons who are citizens;”

The sentence ends abruptly after the semicolon, leaving an incomplete line that has remained unexplained. Since June 24, the EC has offered no comment on the truncated sentence or the omission of the Citizenship Act reference.

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Concerns Over Transparency and Execution

The changes have raised concerns among political observers and civil rights groups, particularly given the heightened sensitivity around citizenship verification processes. Critics argue that removing the mention of the Citizenship Act from the final order may have been intended to avoid political backlash or legal complications.

Simultaneously, Sandhu’s warning suggests awareness within the Commission of the potential hardship the process may cause, especially to elderly citizens, people with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged populations.

With the SIR underway amid tense political debates over electoral roll accuracy and citizenship documentation, questions remain about why the legal basis for the process was altered so drastically — and why the Commission has remained silent on the incomplete paragraph in its own order.

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