New Delhi [India], September 20 : Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after receiving a notice questioning his voter registration details, sarcastically asking if his citizenship had become "suspect" and warning that the poll body’s handling of voter roll deletions would end up before the Supreme Court.
The former Union Minister expressed deep indignation over the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that names of legitimate voters are being arbitrarily struck off or put under scrutiny.
"Firstly, I congratulate Gyanesh Kumar. He thinks that my citizenship is suspect. I want to put facts straight before Gyanesh Kumar about what is happening in this country because of him. I think the issue of how Gyanesh Kumar is removing people’s names from the voter list will reach the Supreme Court," Sibal said.
Detailing his long-standing parliamentary tenure and electoral credentials, the veteran parliamentarian produced relevant documents to demonstrate that he had duly completed the verification process with local poll officials.
"My name is in the draft register. It is there because I was an MP. I was voting in Patna then. You can see my father’s name as well. When the BLO came here, I filled the form. You can see my signature and the BLO’s signature here. How can I get the notice then?" Sibal questioned.
The senior jurist further took exception to the manner in which the notice was served, pointing out that no physical communication was delivered to his address.
"I want to ask Gyanesh Kumar, how did you send me a notice? Am I not a citizen of this country? In 2002, I was a Rajya Sabha member. They didn’t even send me a notice physically. I saw it on the website. This is how they operate," he asserted.
Raising alarm over the plight of ordinary citizens who may not have the legal awareness or resources to monitor digital portals or challenge official discrepancies, Sibal warned of widespread voter disenfranchisement.
"I showed my matching BLO’s sign here; still, I got the notice. If this is happening to me, you can imagine how many people’s votes would be cut. You can also see how the EC is working," Sibal added.