{"id":54348,"date":"2025-07-11T10:15:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T04:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=54348"},"modified":"2025-07-12T11:31:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T06:01:20","slug":"protecting-and-preserving-voting-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/protecting-and-preserving-voting-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting and Preserving Voting Rights in India: Legal Status, Electoral Rolls &#038; Universal Suffrage"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Voting Rights in India Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for updating Bihar\u2019s voter list. The court said the right to vote is core to India\u2019s democracy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike some Western countries, India gave voting rights to all adults from the start.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the UK, voting was once limited to rich men. Women there got voting rights only in 1928.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the U.S., Black citizens and women legally gained voting rights early, but many still faced unfair barriers for years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The article highlights the Supreme Court&#8217;s emphasis on protecting the right to vote, linking it to India&#8217;s commitment to universal adult suffrage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How India Made Universal Adult Suffrage a Reality<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India chose immediate universal adult suffrage from the beginning, ensuring voting rights for all citizens, unlike many countries that granted it slowly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Constitutional Guarantee<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 326 granted voting rights to all adults, regardless of gender, caste, religion, education, or property.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The voting age was later reduced from 21 to 18 through the 61st Amendment in 1989.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Legal Framework<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two laws support this right:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Representation of the People Act, 1950 \u2014 for preparing electoral rolls.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Representation of the People Act, 1951 \u2014 for regulating elections and addressing offences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Administrative Innovations<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To include 173 million largely illiterate voters, election symbols were introduced by Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen, making voting easier for all.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Election Commission ensures that every citizen, no matter how remote, can exercise their right to vote \u2014 a core pillar of India\u2019s democracy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Legal Status of Voting Rights in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In India, the \u2018right to vote\u2019 is not a fundamental or constitutional right but a statutory right under Section 62 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>Kuldip Nayar v. Union of India (2006)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supreme Court ruled that voting is a statutory right, not a fundamental or constitutional one<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 2016 judgment in <\/span><b>Rajbala v. State of Haryana<\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">termed it a constitutional right<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but the larger bench ruling in Kuldip Nayar prevails.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2023), the Court maintained the established view.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Justice Ajay Rastogi\u2019s dissent linked voting to fundamental rights under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21, but his opinion was a minority view.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even as a statutory right, courts and thinkers consider voting essential for democracy\u2019s health and survival, reflecting its status as a \u201cdemocratic imperative.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Importance of Electoral Roll Accuracy in Safeguarding Democracy<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accurate electoral rolls are essential for free and fair elections in India, ensuring the principle of \u201cone person, one vote.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission is empowered to regularly update and correct these rolls.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Errors such as mass omissions, duplicate entries, or ineligible inclusions can lead to impersonation, voter disenfranchisement, and distortion of election outcomes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allowing multiple ID documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards strengthens every citizen\u2019s right to be included and represented.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><b><i>Lakshmi Charan Sen v. A.K.M. Hassan Uzzaman (1985)<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, political parties have a responsibility to ensure voter rolls are accurate, especially in a country with widespread illiteracy.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given India\u2019s party-based Parliamentary system, such vigilance will help to preserve \u2018electoral integrity\u2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Ordinary Resident in India\u2019s Voter List<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Election Commission (EC) prepares electoral rolls under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 19 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Definition of Ordinary Resident<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above who usually lives in a constituency can register as a voter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ordinary residence means regular and genuine presence \u2014 not a short or temporary stay.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, a student in a hostel may not qualify if their permanent home is elsewhere.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Why It Matters<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rule prevents fake registrations and keeps voters connected to their constituencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>Manmohan Singh\u2019s case<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (1991), the court clarified that ordinary residence means habitual presence, not just a formal address.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Special Voter Categories<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Postal ballots are allowed for service voters like soldiers, government staff abroad, and election officials.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overseas Indians can register under Section 20A of the RPA but must vote in person.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Citizenship Verification Debate in Bihar<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A key issue in Bihar&#8217;s SIR process is citizenship verification.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b><i>Lal Babu Hussein v. ERO<\/i><\/b><b> (1995),<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Supreme Court struck down Election Commission orders that allowed officials to remove alleged foreigners from voter rolls without proper procedure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court held:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proof of citizenship cannot be unfairly demanded from voters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Past voter lists must be respected.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">EROs must conduct full inquiries, follow fair procedures, and act under the Citizenship Act and Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As reaffirmed in <\/span><b><i>Md. Rahim Ali Case <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2024), no one can be excluded from voter rolls based on mere suspicion or unverified allegations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/bihar\/the-need-to-safeguard-the-right-to-vote\/article69796056.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0| <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/2025\/7\/10\/why-is-india-forcing-80-million-people-to-justify-their-right-to-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AJ<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand India\u2019s voting rights, electoral roll accuracy, and universal suffrage with legal context, court rulings, and EC responsibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":54357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,1460],"class_list":{"0":"post-54348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","11":"tag-voting-rights-in-india","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}