Bengaluru, Oct 08 : A ‘Janata Nyayalaya’ (People’s Court) was held at Freedom Park here on Thursday to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with organisers demanding cancellation of the exercise and alleging that it could lead to the exclusion of lakhs of voters.
The organisers claimed that marginalised and minority communities could be particularly affected by the SIR process. The event was organised to create public awareness and provide a platform for people who alleged that they had faced difficulties or exclusion during the revision of electoral rolls.
Several people from across Karnataka presented their grievances before the gathering. Organisers said accounts and evidence concerning the SIR process and alleged violations of voting rights would be placed before members of the legal community and other public figures attending the event.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who addressed the gathering, said he had attended as an ordinary citizen and not to facilitate a “regime change” or bring down any government. He said he had participated at his own expense and without support from outside organisations.
Dhruv Rathee said concerns over what he termed “vote chori (vote theft)” should not be viewed through a party-political lens, arguing that the integrity of the electoral process affects every voter.
Referring to electoral-roll controversies in different states, he cited allegations concerning deletion and subsequent restoration of voter names in West Bengal, the deletion of around 65 lakh names in Bihar and the addition of voters in Uttar Pradesh. He also raised concerns over alleged difficulties faced by voters in Goa in adding their names because of software-related issues.
Dhruv Rathee called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and urged citizens, including Bharatiya Janata Party supporters, to join the campaign to protect voting rights.
Prakash Raj Calls For Cancellation Of SIR
Actor and activist Prakash Raj said seeking the resignation of the CEC alone would not address the issue, as another person could replace him without changing the system.
“Cancel the SIR,” Prakash Raj said, describing the exercise as an insult to citizens. He alleged that the process could disproportionately affect poor people, tribal communities, minorities and Muslims.
He questioned why citizens should have to struggle to reclaim their voting rights, stressing that the power to choose governments must remain with voters.
Delimitation Concerns Raised
Abhijit Deepke, founder of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), alleged systematic deletion of names from electoral rolls and accused the government and Election Commission of manipulating the electoral process.
He also criticised the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’, arguing that it could eventually lead to “One Nation, One Party”.
Raising concerns over future delimitation, Abhijit Deepke warned that a delimitation exercise could reduce the parliamentary representation of southern states. He said the South would have an important role in defending democratic rights and shaping the country’s future.
Actors Kishore and Prakash Raj, CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Sourav Das, economist Parakala Prabhakar and former Supreme Court judge Justice Gopala Gowda were among those present, along with writers, thinkers, students and youth leaders.
Federation leaders including Seetharam Gundappa, Father Arun Louis, Noor Sridhar, Amjad Pasha, J M Veerasangayya, Dr Manohar Chandra Prasad, Kumar Samathala, Muhammad Yusuf Kanni, Suhel Ahmed, Advocate Naina, Nagesh Aralakuppe and Rajesh Gowda also attended the programme. (Agencies)
