'ECI is not a court': Chidambaram slams poll body over SIR; terms refusal to hear complaints 'death of democracy'

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram on Sunday lashed out at the Election Commission of India (ECI), asserting that it is “not a court” and must not act like one while dealing with petitions or complaints.

In a post on X, Chidambaram wrote, “The ECI is not a court and cannot behave like a court in entertaining petitions or complaints. It is an administrative body tasked with ensuring free and fair elections.”



Clarifying the scope of Rule 20(3)(b), he said it applies only when an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) accepts or rejects a specific claim to be included in the electoral rolls -- not in cases of alleged large-scale manipulation of an entire assembly constituency’s rolls.

Citing a newspaper report, he alleged that complaints from Booth Level Agents in Bihar are being ignored. “If true, this refusal to entertain complaints during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will spell the death of democratic elections,” he warned, adding that the ECI’s duty extends beyond mere procedure to safeguarding the rights of political parties and voters.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has reiterated its stand that Rahul Gandhi must either submit supporting documents for his recent "vote theft" allegations or apologise. The reminder follows a notice from the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and a follow-up from the Haryana CEO.

In an August 10 letter, the Karnataka CEO said Rahul Gandhi had, during his August 7 press conference, cited ECI records to allege that a voter named Shakun Rani voted twice, based on data shown by a polling officer.

However, the voter has denied the charge, and officials said the tick-marked document displayed by Rahul Gandhi was not issued by the polling officer, raising doubts about its authenticity.

The Karnataka CEO has asked Rahul Gandhi to share the original documents forming the basis of his claim so a detailed investigation can be carried out.

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