The Kerala High Court on Monday instructed the State Election Commission (SEC) to take a decision by Wednesday on a petition filed by a 24-year-old Congress candidate from the Muttada who has contested the removal of her name from the voters’ list, according to a report by Live Law.
The court stressed that the process should prioritise democracy over procedural technicalities or partisan interests.
In her petition, Vyshna S.L., an IT professional selected by the Indian National Congress to contest the upcoming local body polls, pointed out that her name — along with those of her parents — had been included in both the draft and final electoral rolls. However, she later received a notice from the Electoral Registration Officer informing her that all three names had been deleted.
The deletion was based on an objection raised by CPI Branch Secretary Dhanesh Kumar, who alleged that Vyshna was not a regular resident of the ward. The officer accepted the objection, issued a notice, and held a hearing, Maktoob Media reported.
During the hearing, Vyshna submitted several documents including her Aadhaar card, driving licence, and passport to prove her residence. The CPI functionary who made the complaint, however, neither provided any supporting documents nor attended the hearing. Despite this, the officer removed her name from the voters’ list, leading Vyshna to file an appeal before the District Collector.
As the electoral roll is scheduled to be frozen on November 21, she approached the High Court, expressing concern that political pressure might affect the fairness of her appeal.
After considering the matter, Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan said the SEC should address her grievance promptly. The court asked both Vyshna and the complainant to appear before the SEC and directed the Commission to verify her documents thoroughly and issue appropriate orders by November 19.
In a strongly worded observation, the court said, “A 24-year-old young woman shall not be denied her right to participate in an election on technical grounds. In such cases, the winner must be democracy, not technicality or party politics.”
The matter has been scheduled for continued hearing on Thursday.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had sharply criticised the Election Commission of India’s decision to conduct the SIR in Kerala, describing the move as an insult to the democratic process. He argued that carrying out the revision using outdated data and fast-tracking it ahead of major local elections created significant concerns.
Back in September, the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution urging the ECI to rethink the SIR, cautioning that the process might seriously undermine citizens’ rights. The resolution supported by both the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF called for updating the electoral rolls transparently and without unnecessary haste.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had strongly criticised the ECI’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala, calling the SIR “an affront to our democratic process.”
He said that conducting the exercise using “outdated lists” and rushing it ahead of crucial local polls raised “serious concerns.”