The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Election Officer of Delhi to detect and correct duplicate names in the voter list..The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela nevertheless urged the ECI to use artificial intelligence (AI) to weed out duplicate names."We consider it apposite to dispose of the petition by directing the respondents to consider the averments made in the petition at an appropriate stage. Needless to state that if the Commission finds technological tools that would assist the Commission in eliminating duplicate names, the same would be adopted," the Court said..The PIL was filed by political party Rashtravadi Adharsh Mahasangh. It sought directions to Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Election Officer of Delhi to detect and correct duplicate names in the voter list. It also sought rectification of the voter lists of all states through the Photo Similar Entries (PSE) and Demographic Similar Entries (DSE) methods and other artificial intelligence tools in compliance with the Representation of People Act, as per a directive issued by ECI. It also sought directions for costs and legal action against individual voters maintaining multiple entries in the voter lists..The party submitted that it had earlier approached the Supreme Court for the same relief, but was asked to approach the authorities state-wise and then the concerned High Court.The petition stated, “the states are sitting over the matter and allowing the duplication of voters in their electoral rolls as a result of which the democratic process of election is being rigged and the fundamental rights of the citizen of the country is being affected adversely. The principle of one citizen one vote is being violated openly as one citizen is voter in various voter lists.”.The PIL was filed by Advocates Umesh Sharma and Munish Kumar Gaur.
