Delhi High Court rejects plea alleging exclusion of homeless from voter list due to SIR
The Delhi High Court dismissed a petition alleging that homeless individuals were being excluded from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision exercise. The court ruled that existing mechanisms already allow for the registration of homeless persons, even without a fixed address.
Why it matters
The ruling clarifies the legal framework for voting rights among marginalized populations and affirms the Election Commission's current procedures for inclusive electoral participation.
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation alleging that homeless persons in the capital faced the risk of being left out of the electoral rolls during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), holding that an existing mechanism provides for their enrolment even without a fixed address.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the apprehension raised by petitioner Indu Prakash Singh appeared to be without basis, noting that the electoral system already provided for the inclusion of homeless persons.
The court said there was no “vacuum” in the existing mechanism and observed that the petitioner had made “bald averments” regarding the alleged exclusion of persons displaced by demolition drives carried out in Delhi over the years.
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