A view of the Supreme Court of India. File | Photo credit: S. Subramanium

On Monday, November 25, 2024, the Supreme Court refused to consider a PIL seeking directions to the Election Commission and state election agencies to address alleged duplication and multiple registrations in the electoral rolls.

A bench including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the apex court cannot issue omnibus directions to all authorities.

The court, however, allowed petitioner Rashtrawadi Adarsh ​​​​Mahasangh, a registered political group, to approach the high courts with specific grievances and allowed filing of representations with the competent authorities.

The PIL highlighted the “threat” of duplicate voter registrations, alleging that it undermines the sanctity of elections in India.

Represented by advocates Avadh Bihari Kaushik and Umseh Sharma, the petitioner sought the court’s intervention to ensure cleaner electoral rolls, terming the current situation a threat to democracy.

The petition cited the 255th report of the Law Commission of India, which recommended a unified electoral roll and highlighted the 2021 amendment to the Representation of the People Act allowing linkage between Aadhaar and voter identification .

Despite these measures, the petitioner claims, duplication persists due to lax implementation.

The plea, therefore, sought directions for removal of duplicate voter registrations within 30 days and constitution of a special investigation team headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate and supervise the process correction.

“The present petitioner…wishes to draw the attention of this court to the menace of duplication and multiplication of voter cards and voter registrations and such cases are not one or a few, but thousands, even thousands of thousands of people all over the world. India, which pollutes, slanders and defiles the most sacred and famous festival of Indian democracy: ‘elections’…,” the PIL said.

While refusing any intervention, the court noted that targeted legal remedies remained available to resolve specific problems.