'Happy SC took notice': Farooq Abdullah backs court scrutiny of CEC
Farooq Abdullah reacts to the Supreme Court issuing notices to the Election Commission regarding allegations of unilateral decisions in electoral roll revisions.
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah has expressed his satisfaction following the Supreme Court's decision to issue notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and other respondents. The legal action follows petitions challenging decisions allegedly made unilaterally by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Abdullah welcomes judicial intervention
Reacting to the development on Monday, Abdullah stated that he was pleased the apex court had taken cognisance of the matter. He expressed his hope that the judiciary would thoroughly investigate the allegations and address any errors that may have occurred during the electoral roll revision process.
"I am really happy that Supreme Court has taken notice. We hope that it will look into this and take note of the mistakes he has made," Abdullah remarked.
The core of the legal dispute
The controversy stems from a petition alleging that 14 critical decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision were taken solely in the name of the ECI. Crucially, the petition claims these decisions were made despite formal objections being recorded by the two other Election Commissioners.
The scope of the investigation requested by the court includes several sensitive areas:
- Alleged unauthorized changes to electoral-roll systems.
- Modifications to Form 6.
- Issues regarding access to ERONet/ECINet.
- Appeals filed before West Bengal Appellate Tribunals.
Supreme Court's stance on 'authenticated information'
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana recently declined to pass an ex-parte interim order that sought the suspension of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. Instead, the court opted for a more investigative approach.
The bench emphasized that it requires "authenticated information" regarding the allegations before making a determination. The court observed that if any decision is found to have bypassed the established statutory framework, it could be annulled.
Addressing the specific issue of Form 6, CJI Surya Kant clarified the court's position, stating: "Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let's be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified."
The notices have been issued to the Central Government, the Election Commission, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and other relevant officials.
Abdullah on West Bengal's UCC plans
In a separate political commentary, Abdullah addressed recent statements made by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari regarding the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and proposed laws against "love jihad."
When asked about these upcoming legislative moves, Abdullah remained cryptic about the future, suggesting that the government's actions would lead to unpredictable outcomes. "They are going to do a lot of things. But they will not even realise what the God is going to do," he said.