SC Questions ECI's 'Untrammelled Powers' in Voter Roll Revision, Cautions Against 'Unruly Horse' Behavior

• The Supreme Court questioned the Election Commission of India's (ECI) 'untrammelled powers' during its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
• The bench, including CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, emphasized that ECI's actions must be 'just and fair' and cannot override voters' civil rights.
• The ECI argued Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, allows it to deviate from standard procedures for a clean voter list, citing 'logical discrepancies' and 'ghost entries'.
• The court expressed concern over the lack of transparency, particularly the replacement of six standard verification documents with 11 new ones, potentially disenfranchising rural/poor voters.
• In West Bengal, 1.36 crore voters were flagged for discrepancies; critics allege the SIR is used for 'profiling', causing public 'stress and strain'.

Why It Matters: The Supreme Court is scrutinizing the ECI's power to revise voter rolls, stressing transparency and fairness.