Delhi High Court rejects PIL against use of ward volunteers, village secretariats for preparing electoral rolls in Andhra

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Citizens for Democracy, represented by a retired IAS officer and former State Election Commissioner seeking direction to the EC not to use the services of ward volunteers and village secretariats for preparing electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh.

A division bench, led by acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, disposed of the plea, asking the NGO to present its grievances before the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The court said that the petitioner's concerns were related to a government order issued by the State of Andhra Pradesh, making it the jurisdiction of the Andhra Pradesh High Court to address the matter.

The challenged Government Order, titled "Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (MDL-I) Department," outlined the appointment of village and ward volunteers to assist the government in providing information to citizens.

The PIL argued that this scheme was illegal, arbitrary, and against the Indian Constitution.

The NGO contended that involving volunteers, who are perceived as "party cadre of the ruling party," in the electoral roll preparation could lead to post-electoral violence if voting deviates from predicted patterns.

The plea urged for independent and objective functionaries, excluding partisan entities like volunteers, to ensure fairness, natural justice, and credibility in the electoral roll preparation process.

The Delhi High Court, however, maintained that the Andhra Pradesh High Court is the appropriate forum for addressing these issues.