Election Commission's transparency unparalleled: Gyanesh Kumar
The Election Commission stated that its processes offer "unparalleled" transparency, pointing to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as evidence.
According to the Commission, the SIR exercise has already been completed for roughly 700 million voters, while verification of another 350 million voters remains underway.
The SIR involves house-to-house enumeration and document-based verification, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of registered parties acting as on-ground participants in the process.
The exercise aims to remove deceased, permanently shifted, and duplicate entries from electoral rolls while ensuring no eligible citizen is left out.
Article 324 — Constitutional Basis of the Election Commission's Authority
Article 324 vests the "superintendence, direction and control" of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President in the Election Commission of India (ECI). This is the constitutional source of the ECI's power to conduct exercises such as the Special Intensive Revision.
Key Details
- The Commission consists of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and such number of other Election Commissioners as the President may fix from time to time — currently a three-member body (CEC plus two Election Commissioners).
- In Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner (1978), the Supreme Court held that Article 324's residuary powers are plenary, allowing the ECI to act even where no specific law covers a situation, provided it does not conflict with Parliament-made law.
- Electoral roll preparation and revision is more specifically governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Sections 21–25 on roll preparation and revision), while Article 326 provides the constitutional guarantee of universal adult suffrage (18 years and above) that underlies the roll.
- The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 currently governs the appointment process for CEC and ECs, replacing the earlier practice based on the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.
The scale and legitimacy the Commission claims for the SIR exercise rest on this Article 324 mandate — the ECI positions large-scale, document-verified roll revision as an exercise of its plenary constitutional authority to keep rolls accurate ahead of elections.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) vs Summary Revision
Electoral roll revision in India is ordinarily conducted through an annual "summary revision," which updates rolls based on claims and objections without re-verifying every existing entry. A Special Intensive Revision is a more exhaustive exercise — house-to-house enumeration with fresh documentary verification of enumerated persons — undertaken when the Commission determines large-scale inaccuracies (deaths, migration, duplication) require a ground-up recheck rather than incremental updates.
Key Details
- The Commission's SIR process relies on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducting door-to-door enumeration using pre-filled forms, cross-verified against defined lists of acceptable identity/eligibility documents.
- Political parties are permitted to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to observe the enumeration and verification process at the booth level, which the Commission cites as a transparency and accountability mechanism.
- The exercise has previously drawn litigation — in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Election Commission of India (2025), petitioners challenged the SIR conducted in Bihar ahead of state elections, and the Supreme Court directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar as one of the acceptable identity documents for inclusion, while clarifying Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship.
- The current nationwide SIR follows the same broad enumeration-and-verification method used in Bihar, extended to other states in phases.
The figures cited — around 700 million voters already covered, 350 million more under verification — reflect the scale of a nationwide SIR exercise being conducted in phases, distinct from routine annual roll updates.
Composition and Independence of the Election Commission
The Election Commission's institutional independence is protected through security of tenure and service conditions for the CEC, comparable to a Supreme Court judge, and through the requirement that the CEC can be removed only through the same process as a Supreme Court judge (impeachment-like process), while other Election Commissioners can be removed on the CEC's recommendation.
Key Details
- Article 324(5) provides that the CEC "shall not be removed from office except in like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court," while other ECs cannot be removed except on the CEC's recommendation.
- The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, enacted after the Supreme Court's Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023) ruling (which had directed a selection committee including the CJI pending a law), provides for a selection committee of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition (or the largest opposition party leader) in the Lok Sabha — notably excluding the Chief Justice of India, which was part of the interim arrangement the Court had ordered.
- The ECI also enjoys rule-making and quasi-judicial functions, such as recognition/de-recognition of political parties and allotment of symbols under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
The Commission's claim of "unparalleled transparency" is made in the context of ongoing scrutiny over its independence and processes — the SIR being the most visible recent exercise of its Article 324 authority, and one that has itself become the subject of judicial review over document requirements and exclusion risk.
- SIR voter coverage cited: approximately 700 million voters already completed; verification of a further 350 million voters underway.
- Election Commission composition: 1 Chief Election Commissioner + 2 Election Commissioners (as currently fixed).
- Article 324: vests superintendence, direction, and control of elections in the ECI.
- Article 326: guarantees universal adult suffrage at age 18.
- CEC and ECs Act, 2023: current law governing appointment (selection committee — PM, a Union Cabinet Minister, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha).
- Representation of the People Act, 1950: statutory basis for electoral roll preparation and revision (Sections 21–25).
- Association for Democratic Reforms v. ECI (2025): Supreme Court-monitored litigation on the Bihar SIR; Aadhaar ordered accepted as a valid identity document, though not proof of citizenship.