Delhi SIR: notices for over 33 lakh people to be issued only in English
Delhi election officials have decided to issue notices for electoral roll verification exclusively in English, despite concerns from local workers about accessibility. The decision affects over 33 lakh people, many of whom may struggle with English-only documentation.
Why it matters
It raises concerns regarding administrative transparency and the accessibility of democratic processes for non-English speaking populations.
Over 33 lakh people whose names are listed in the draft electoral roll but whose enumeration forms were flagged for anomalies or classified as ‘unmapped’ will receive notices only in English for document verification and hearings under the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) drive in Delhi, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Prashant Kumar told T he Hindu.
Of the 97.56 lakh names in the draft roll, 19.33 lakh have been flagged for anomalies while 13.79 lakh have been classified as ‘unmapped’.
“We were asked to choose between English and Hindi by the Election Commission of India for the generation of notices; we chose English,” Mr. Kumar said.
He added that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been asked to explain the notices in the preferred language.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in