Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Roll recall: on Supreme Court and the Bihar SIR exercise

​Roll recall: on Supreme Court and the Bihar SIR exercise

Supreme Court intervention (हस्तक्षेप, दखल) highlights (प्रमुखता से दिखाना, रेखांकित करना) Election Commission of India’s procedural (प्रक्रियात्मक) failures

In what must be seen as a rap on the knuckles of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Supreme Court of India ordered it to publish the names of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s draft (मसौदा, प्रारूप) electoral roll (मतदाता सूची), and the reasons, following (के बाद) the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise (कार्य, अभ्यास). That it required the Court to compel the ECI to follow the basic principles of natural justice for these voters underscores (रेखांकित करना) the pressing (तात्कालिक, अत्यावश्यक) lacunae in the institution’s conduct (संचालन, आचरण) of the SIR and the presumptuous (अभिमानी, ढीठ) and hasty (जल्दबाज़, उतावला) manner of its implementation (कार्यान्वयन). There has been no consolidated (समेकित) list of the excluded electors whose names, the ECI claims (दावा करना), have been removed because they have died, or are untraceable (undetectable, invisible, unfindable, mysterious, lost, or hidden) or have fake/duplicate entries. No reasons have been provided against each name. Data analysed by The Hindu and ground reports (the actual/practical report/data from the ground (a particular area/place where an activity/work really happens)) have highlighted significant anomalies (something that is different, abnormal or unusual from what normally/usually happens; oddity, abnormality, peculiarity, aberration, eccentricity, exception, deviation, divergence, departure). A much higher number of women (close to 32 lakh) than men (close to 25 lakh) have been excluded despite more men having migrated (to move from one country, region, or place to another to live or work there (often for better living conditions)), and recent death rates having been slightly higher among men too. Reports indicate that several voters have been wrongly identified as dead or had not been enumerated (list, itemize, mention, count (things one by one)) despite having valid voter IDs and proof of residence across areas. The Court’s intervention now provides a meaningful way — the ECI deadline of September 1 to complete the filing of claims (statement, assertion, affirmation avowal (that something is true); a formal request for something that is believed; a right or title to something) and objections (complaint, opposition, disapproval, disagreement) is near — for such voters to address (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) their anomalous (abnormal, atypical, odd, peculiar, bizarre, unusual) situations.

The Court will continue to hear the case on the SIR which has other problematic elements to it. The constitutionality (lawfulness, legality, rightness, legitimacy, justification, validity) of the exercise itself, conducted after the ECI’s own summary (brief, short; swift, rapid) revision in January, remains to be adjudicated (adjudge, judge, decide, settle, resolve). Also, the ECI still insists that enumerated voters in the draft roll are vetted (examine, evaluate, review, inspect, check out, look into) by Election Registration Officers based on the availability of one of 11 indicative documents, which do not include the more universally (broadly, commonly, generally, extensively, invariably) available Aadhaar or ration cards (family card; an official document issued by the government that allows households to purchase essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, and kerosene at subsidized rates from public distribution system (PDS) shops). With the Court ordering the ECI to allow excluded citizens to file objections with their Aadhaar card and having nudged (encourage, prompt, stimulate/coax) it to accept this document in two previous hearings (court case, lawsuit, inquiry, legal proceeding, trial, legal action), the ECI must now include the Aadhaar card as an identity document also. The Court’s order also shines a light on the ECI’s use of non-transparent (opaque, hidden, mysterious, unclear, blurred, murky) means (way, method, mode, manner, procedure) to conduct the SIR; it has made it onerous (difficult, hard/tough, taxing, demanding, arduous, laborious, back-breaking) for civil society to parse (inspect, check out, investigate, analyze, dissect, scrutinize) the electoral rolls and it continues to use that ploy (tactic, move, scheme, cunning plan) even now by refusing to put up (display, post; propose, put forward, present, submit) the full list of those excluded and the reasons in one place. Universal adult franchise (the right of citizens in a given society who are entitled to vote in an election without the discrimination of caste, class, colour, religion or sex) has been a cornerstone (centerpiece, foundation, key player, mainstay, central component, backbone) of India’s democracy (a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through fairly & freely elected representatives) since Independence. The upcoming (approaching, imminent, impending, nearing, at hand; approximate, close, nearest, firsthand) hearings in the case and the ECI’s actions in rectifying its role in Bihar’s SIR process will go a long way (will be very successful; to be very helpful/useful (to achieve success)) in assuaging (reduce, diminish, decrease, lessen, ease, relieve, allay, alleviate, mitigate, temper, moderate) serious concerns about the voter enrolment (the act of enrolling/joining) process in the country today.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.exercise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्य, अभ्यास
English Meaning - activity, task, operation, assignment.

2.intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप, दखल
English Meaning - the process of intervening in something; involvement, interference.

3.highlight (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमुखता से दिखाना, रेखांकित करना
English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, underline, accentuate, point up, call attention to, focus attention on.

4.procedural (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रक्रियात्मक
English Meaning - systemic, systematic, methodical, operational, organizational.

5.draft (noun as modifier)

Hindi Meaning - मसौदा, प्रारूप
English Meaning - a preliminary version of (a document).

6.electoral roll (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतदाता सूची
English Meaning - list of voters; voters list.

7.following (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - के बाद
English Meaning - after, subsequent to, in the wake of, as a result of, ensuing.

8.underscore (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना
English Meaning - highlight, emphasize, underline, stress, call/draw attention to.

9.pressing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तात्कालिक, अत्यावश्यक
English Meaning - urgent, critical, crucial, serious, desperate, important, key, vital, high-priority, burning, essential.

10.conduct (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संचालन, आचरण
English Meaning - organization, management, administration.

11.presumptuous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अभिमानी, ढीठ
English Meaning - arrogant, foolhardy, overconfident, cheeky, pushy, hasty, audacious.

12.hasty (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जल्दबाज़, उतावला
English Meaning - hurried, rapid/quick; reckless, ill-considered, ill-advised.

13.implementation noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यान्वयन
English Meaning - imposition, enforcement, execution.

14.consolidated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - समेकित
English Meaning - combined, merged.

15.claim (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दावा करना
English Meaning - assert, affirm, insist, state, argue, contend.

16.untraceable (adjective)

English Meaning - undetectable, invisible, unfindable, mysterious, lost, or hidden.

17.lacunae (plural of) lacuna (noun)

English Meaning - a gap/empty space; missing part of something.

18.roll (noun)

English Meaning - list.

19.Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls (noun)

English Meaning - It aims to revise the electoral rolls in the state in order to include all eligible voters (under Article 326 of the Constitution of India) and eliminate all ineligible voters from the voter list (under Section 16 of the Representation of People Act, 1950 (RPA)). The SIR is carried out through its (ECI) powers under Article 324 and Section 21 of the RPA. Article 324 vests the ECI with superintendence, direction and control over elections in India. Section 21 of the RPA empowers the ECI to prepare and revise electoral rolls.

20.a rap on the knuckles (phrase)

English Meaning - criticism, censure, castigation, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, reproval, lambasting, scolding.

21.ground report (noun)

English Meaning - the actual/practical report/data from the ground (a particular area/place where an activity/work really happens).

22.on the ground (phrase)

English Meaning - in the place where real, practical work is happening; in actual conditions rather than in theories; in a place where real, practical work is done.

23.anomaly (noun)

English Meaning - something that is different, abnormal or unusual from what normally/usually happens; oddity, abnormality, peculiarity, aberration, eccentricity, exception, deviation, divergence, departure.

24.migrate (verb)

English Meaning - to move from one country, region, or place to another to live or work there (often for better living conditions).

25.enumerate (verb)

English Meaning - list, itemize, mention, count (things one by one).

26.claim (noun)

English Meaning - statement, assertion, affirmation avowal (that something is true); a formal request for something that is believed; a right or title to something.

27.objection (noun)

English Meaning - complaint, opposition, disapproval, disagreement.

28.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

29.anomalous (adjective)

English Meaning - abnormal, atypical, odd, peculiar, bizarre, unusual.

30.constitutionality (noun)

English Meaning - lawfulness, legality, rightness, legitimacy, justification, validity.

31.summary (adjective)

English Meaning - brief, short; swift, rapid.

32.adjudicate (verb)

English Meaning - adjudge, judge, decide, settle, resolve.

33.vet (verb)

English Meaning - examine, evaluate, review, inspect, check out, look into.

34.universally (adverb)

English Meaning - broadly, commonly, generally, extensively, invariably.

35.ration card (noun)

English Meaning - family card; an official document issued by the government that allows households to purchase essential commodities like rice, wheat, sugar, and kerosene at subsidized rates from public distribution system (PDS) shops.

36.nudge (verb)

English Meaning - encourage, prompt, stimulate/coax.

37.hearing (noun)

English Meaning - court case, lawsuit, inquiry, legal proceeding, trial, legal action.

38.shine a light on (phrase)

English Meaning - to explain something by providing more information; to make something more clear by examining it more closely/precisely; cast a light on, shed/throw light on; explain, elucidate, interpret, simplify, clarify, clear up

39.non-transparent (adjective)

English Meaning - opaque, hidden, mysterious, unclear, blurred, murky.

40.means (noun)

English Meaning - way, method, mode, manner, procedure.

41.onerous (adjective)

English Meaning - difficult, hard/tough, taxing, demanding, arduous, laborious, back-breaking.

42.civil society (noun)

English Meaning - civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society - sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) - has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.

43.parse (verb)

English Meaning - inspect, check out, investigate, analyze, dissect, scrutinize.

44.ploy (noun)

English Meaning - tactic, move, scheme, cunning plan.

45.put up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - display, post; propose, put forward, present, submit.

46.universal adult franchise (noun)

English Meaning - the right of citizens in a given society who are entitled to vote in an election without the discrimination of caste, class, colour, religion or sex.

47.cornerstone (noun)

English Meaning - centerpiece, foundation, key player, mainstay, central component, backbone.

48.democracy (noun)

English Meaning - a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through fairly & freely elected representatives.

49.upcoming (adjective)

English Meaning - approaching, imminent, impending, nearing, at hand; approximate, close, nearest, firsthand.

50.go a long way (phrase)

English Meaning - will be very successful; to be very helpful/useful (to achieve success)

51.assuage (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, diminish, decrease, lessen, ease, relieve, allay, alleviate, mitigate, temper, moderate.

52.enrolment (noun)

English Meaning - the act of enrolling/joining.