How ex-navy chief Admiral Prakash got SIR notice in Goa: EC clarifies

The Election Commission of India issued a clarification on Monday regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notice to former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) in Goa, stating that the mandatory data about the previous SIR was not included in the form he submitted as part of the process.

The ECI had asked the 1971 war hero Admiral Prakash, who is settled in Goa since his retirement, to attend a meeting to establish his identity as part of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state. This drew backlash, as several users on social media, including those who had retired from the armed forces, expressed concern about such a notice being sent to a Vir Chakra awardee.

"In the context of media reports relating to notices issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it is clarified that during the course of SIR, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Part No. 43 of Cortalim Assembly Constituency collected the enumeration form pertaining to Shri Arun Prakash," Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Dr Medora Ermomilla D'Costa said in the clarification statement.

The statement listed the mandatory fields that were supposedly not filled in Admiral Prakash’s form.

"It was observed that the said enumeration form did not contain the mandatory particulars relating to the previous SIR, including the name of the elector, EPIC number, name of the relative, name and number of the Assembly Constituency, Part number, and serial number in the electoral roll," D'Costa added.

Admiral Arun Prakash was awarded a Vir Chakra for his role in the India-Pakistan War of 1971.

The official pointed out that the concerned BLO application was unable to establish an automatic linkage between the submitted enumeration form and the existing electoral roll database, due to the absence of the essential identification details.

The statement further said that as all the fields pertaining to the last SIR were left blank, the system categorised the enumeration form under the “unmapped category".

"The BLO application is designed to automatically map enumeration forms only when the prescribed identification particulars are duly filled in, enabling verification with the existing electoral roll. In cases where enumeration forms remain unmapped, the SIR process mandates further verification through a hearing mechanism," D'Costa said.

The statement stated that, according to the standard system-driven procedure, a hearing notice was automatically generated and issued to verify the elector's details and ensure a due opportunity for confirmation of eligibility.

Admiral Arun Prakash’s case is not a standalone one.

The EC had even sent a notice for a hearing to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen after logical discrepancies were detected in the enumeration form of the eminent economist, a senior official of the poll panel confirmed last Tuesday. Sen’s ancestral house is at Bolpur in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.

“There were some logical discrepancies in Sen’s enumeration form. We have sent him a hearing notice,” said a poll panel official, requesting anonymity.

In December, the West Bengal chief electoral officer had directed officials to hold the hearing process for voters above 85 at their residences, if they so requested.

The poll panel, however, later clarified that Sen, 92, is not required to appear for a hearing, an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Since Booth Level Officers have the authority to correct minor errors, including spelling mistakes in voter names, the correction in the economist’s case will be handled administratively at the local level, he said.

“The confusion over the spelling is purely technical and has no bearing on the voter’s eligibility. Our officials have been instructed to resolve such matters at the administrative level to prevent unnecessary controversy,” the official said.