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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Voter list in machine-readable form can't be shared: CEC cites SC order
Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded Press Trust of India New Delhi Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political parties. He also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable formats. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded. He said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its misuse. The Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag flaws. The CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' privacy. Officials pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. Referring to the Supreme Court verdict in Kamal Nath vs Election Commission of India, (2019), the officials said that the top court had observed that it found force in the submission of EC. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression "text mode". The draft electoral roll in text mode has been supplied to the petitioner, the apex court had said. "The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'. "Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," the apex court had observed. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Can't share machine-readable voters list: CEC Gyanesh Kumar cites SC order
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that sharing voter lists in machine-readable format with political parties is prohibited, citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment. While searchable voter lists are available online, the machine-readable format is restricted due to potential misuse and privacy concerns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath , the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress to the Supreme Court verdict in Kamal Nath vs Election Commission of India , (2019), the officials said that the top court had observed that it found force in the submission of 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression " text mode ". The draft electoral roll in text mode has been supplied to the petitioner, the apex court had said."The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'."Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," the apex court had observed.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Cant share machine-readable voters list: CEC cites SC order
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Citing a 2019 Supreme Court judgment, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the voter list in machine-readable format cannot be shared with political parties. He also said there was a difference between machine-readable and searchable formats. Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that the voter list available on its website can be searched using a voter card number and can also be downloaded. He said the machine-readable format is barred as it can be edited and can lead to its misuse. The Congress has been demanding the voter list in machine-readable format, saying it will help it flag flaws. The CEC said that in 2019, the top court had sided with its stand that a machine-readable format cannot be shared as it could compromise voters' privacy. Officials pointed out that the issue was already raised by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. Referring to the Supreme Court verdict in Kamal Nath vs Election Commission of India, (2019), the officials said that the top court had observed that it found force in the submission of EC. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression 'text mode". The draft electoral roll in text mode has been supplied to the petitioner, the apex court had said. 'The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'. 'Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," the apex court had observed. PTI NAB RT RT view comments First Published: August 17, 2025, 19:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Gazette
26-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Congress' demand for digital electoral rolls
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Sources within the Election Commission of India (ECI) have clarified that the Indian National Congress' (INC) ongoing demand for machine-readable, digital copies of electoral rolls is 'not legally tenable' and has already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court. Officials pointed out that this issue was earlier raised by former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath in 2018 through written petition (C) No. 935 of 2018. The Supreme Court had definitively ruled in favour of the Election Commission's position in that case. While acknowledging that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been demanding digital electoral rolls for the past seven months, ECI sources said that this is part of a Congress strategy spanning over eight years. They added that this fact 'appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation.' The sources said that although Rahul Gandhi's demand is consistent with the Congress party's historical position, it cannot be accommodated within the current legal framework. The matter has already been legally settled through a Supreme Court judgment in the case of Kamal Nath vs. Election Commission of India. Rahul Gandhi 'may not have been appropriately apprised of the finality with which the matter stands concluded in judicial record,' they said. In its 2019 judgment, the Supreme Court specifically addressed whether voter lists should be supplied to political parties in searchable text mode rather than PDF format. 'The draft electoral roll in that mode i.e. text mode, has been supplied to the petitioner,' the Supreme Court noted, adding that the Election Manual's Clause 11.2.2.2 uses the expression 'text mode' but 'nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'.' The apex court upheld the ECI's decision to provide electoral rolls only in 'Image PDF' format in the public domain. The judgment stated that the current format 'fulfils the requirement contained in the Election Manual.' The court also noted that if political parties require searchable formats, 'he can always convert it into searchable mode, which of course, would require him to put his own efforts.' ECI sources further emphasised that the Commission's instructions dated January 4, 2018, directing field functionaries to provide only 'Image PDF' versions of electoral rolls, remain valid and have been judicially endorsed. The clarification comes amid renewed political debate over electoral transparency and access to voter data, with the Congress party continuing to press for enhanced digital access despite the settled legal position.' (ANI)
Hans India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Rahul Gandhi's demand for digital voter list legally untenable: Experts
New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's persistent demand that ECI provide machine-readable digital copies of the voter lists for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Vidhan Sabha elections appears to be legally untenable, said constitutional experts and sources on Thursday. Election Commission of India insiders said an earlier Supreme Court verdict has already settled the matter in favour of the poll panel. They suggest that LoP Rahul Gandhi's repeated attempts to rake up the demand for 'machine-readable digital copies' are nothing more than a publicity stunt, as the apex court has already ruled against such a demand. Poll panel insiders shared excerpts of the Supreme Court's verdict on a writ petition filed in 2018 by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, that said, 'The format in which the draft electoral roll is supplied to the petitioner fulfils the requirement contained in the Election Manual.' 'If the petitioner so wants, he can always convert it into searchable mode, which, of course, would require him to put his own efforts,' said the Supreme Court judgment. Insiders in the ECI have shed light on the apex court judgment in the backdrop of LoP Rahul Gandhi's allegation of 'fixed election' in Maharashtra last November and the Election Commission's invitation to him to sit for a doubt-clearing session, an offer which he has not accepted yet. 'While it is factually correct that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, has been demanding a machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such a demand by the Congress is not new,' said an official source. The demand, it seems, is part of a strategy by the Congress for well over eight years, a fact that appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation, he said. 'The position historically maintained by the Indian National Congress is not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework. It may be recalled that this very issue has already been agitated by the Congress before none other than the highest constitutional court of the country,' he said. An ECI insider cited the Supreme Court decision on the matter, which said: 'We find force in the submission of ECI. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression 'text mode'. The draft electoral roll in that mode, i.e. text mode, has been supplied to the petitioner. The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'.' 'Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided,' said the SC verdict, quoted by the expert.
