New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench led by the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, on Wednesday issued notice on a petition alleging that the Election Commission of India has indulged in voter profiling by deploying an "undisclosed software" to link voter ID to Aadhaar cards. The plea was filed by a Hyderabad-based engineer, Srinivas Kodali.
The bench also comprising Justice PS Narasimha remarked that "it is an important issue". The plea contended that ECI has "created a surveillance" wherein sensitive information of voters like their caste, ethnicity, medical history, income etc. are linked to voter information. Plea contends that politicians would now be able to categorize people based on their choices and free and fair elections will be affected.
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"In sum, the ECI abdicated its constitutional duty under Article 324 and statutory obligation under the Representation of the People Act,1950D to prepare electoral rolls without the aid or assistance from the government or electronic databases under their control," read the plea.
"Right to vote encompasses the right to not have an excessive administration burden that impedes or deprives the right to vote. In failing to inform the affected voter, and without specifying the reasons for deletion, the ECI unlawfully placed the burden on voters to prove that they are neither duplicate nor shifted nor a dead voter," read the plea. The plea was earlier filed before the Telangana High Court but it was dismissed.
