‘Can EC do whatever it likes?’ asks Delhi HC in plea against deployment of teachers for SIR

Scroll.inIndependentCenter3 hr. ago

The Delhi High Court has questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding its decision to deploy government school teachers for duties related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. During a hearing, the court challenged the ECI's authority under Article 324, asking if it could 'do whatever it likes' in deploying teachers. The petitioners argued that this practice disrupted regular schooling, as classes were taken over by unfamiliar guest teachers, and that the work extended beyond school hours and holidays. The ECI's counsel stated that teachers were assigned tasks during non-teaching hours or holidays, but the court expressed concern about teachers' entitlement to rest. The ECI has been granted until July 27 to submit an affidavit, and the case will be heard again on July 28. The SIR exercise, aimed at revising electoral rolls through house-to-house verification, has faced criticism for potentially removing eligible voters from the rolls and has led to multiple legal challenges.

Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced account of the legal challenge against the ECI's deployment of teachers for SIR duties. It includes perspectives from both the petitioners and the ECI's counsel, without overtly favoring either side. The court's questioning of the ECI's authority is presented as part-

The HinduIndependentCenter14 hr. ago

The Hindu has published a searchable and downloadable list of 158,677 voters deleted from Manipur's 2026 draft Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral rolls. These deletions occurred during the enumeration phase of the SIR process, which aims to update electoral rolls in 16 states and three union territories. The article highlights that the 19 assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes—predominantly inhabited by the Kuki-Zo and Naga communities—experienced disproportionately high deletions. The Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur stated that affected voters can reapply during the 'Claims and Objections' phase by submitting Form 6 and a declaration form by August 4, 2026. The Hindu provides the data in CSV format, allowing users to filter by constituency, booth, or deletion reasons.

Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information about voter roll deletions in Manipur without overtly favoring any political side. It reports on the process, the distribution of deletions, and the opportunity for affected voters to appeal, while emphasizing neutrality in presenting the data. There is no明显的