New Delhi, July 22 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Supreme Court that it has the statutory and constitutional authority to seek proof of citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Defending its action in a counter-affidavit filed in the batch of petitions challenging the SIR process, the ECI rejected the argument that it was overstepping its jurisdiction by asking individuals to prove citizenship.
It asserted that this obligation flows from Article 326 of the Constitution and Sections 16 and 19 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
"ECI is vested with the power to scrutinize whether a proposed elector fulfils the criteria for being registered as a voter in the electo...