Rahul Gandhi Grills Centre Over Election Reforms in SIR Parliament Debate

Image Source: Internet

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday pressed the Centre for answers on key issues related to election reforms during the Lok Sabha debate on the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Gandhi posed three questions and presented four demands to the government, seeking transparency and accountability in the electoral process. Gandhi's questions centered around the removal of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel for appointing election commissioners, the grant of immunity to election commissioners, and the accessibility of CCTV footage recorded during polls. He claimed that the BJP was using the Election Commission to undermine India's democracy. Gandhi's four demands included providing machine-readable voter lists to all parties before elections, allowing access to EVM architecture, revoking the law allowing destruction of CCTV footage, and changing the law granting immunity to election commissioners. He assured the Election Commission that the Opposition would work towards changing these laws. The Election Commission had revised its rules in June, limiting the accessibility of video footage recorded during polls to only court hearings. The commission cited security concerns and the risk of voter intimidation as reasons for this limitation. The Centre's law granting immunity to election commissioners has sparked controversy, with many questioning the need for such immunity. The law states that no court can entertain or continue any civil or criminal proceedings against election commissioners for actions taken while in office.