Election Commission Announces New Relaxations in SIR Process Amid Protests Against Gyanesh Kumar

New Delhi: Amid growing protests across the country against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who has been accused of undermining the credibility of the country's electoral system, the Centre has announced new relaxations in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday.

Several corrective measures have also been announced following serious allegations raised against Gyanesh Kumar by fellow Election Commission members Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. In a press release, theElection Commission claimed that key decisions related to the SIR process in 30 states and Union Territories were taken unanimously.

The deadlines for filing claims and objections related to the SIR process have been extended in Delhi and Maharashtra. Applications can now be submitted until October 30 in Delhi and October 12 in Maharashtra. The deadlines for disposing of the claims and objections have been set as November 30 and November 10, respectively.

As per the decisions taken at the meeting, ‘unmapped’ voters and those whose details are found to have discrepancies will generally no longer be required to appear in person before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). Instead, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit their homes, collect the documents and upload them to the ECINet portal.

Hearings will be conducted only in specific circumstances. The commission has decided to conduct hearings online wherever possible. If a voter is unable to attend personally, an adult family member can be designated as a representative.

A committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner will be constituted to examine the functioning of the ECINet portal. The commission also clarified that a voter's name will not be removed from the electoral roll merely because a notice has been issued.

District Election Officers have been directed to set up help desks and special camps to assist people staying in night shelters, workers, the poor, homeless people and others.