Lok Sabha elections: Supreme Court rejects plea to facilitate displaced Manipur residents to vote

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea to ensure that about 18,000 persons who have been displaced due to the ethnic violence in Manipur, get to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections [Naulak Khamsuanthang and Ors Election Commission of India and ors].A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said that the petition was filed too late and it would be difficult for the Election Commission to make arrangements for enabling displaced persons to cast their votes just three days before the date of polling on April 19. "Thus, interference of this court at this belated stage would cause substantial impediments on the conduct of the ensuing Lok Sabha general elections in Manipur. Thus, we decline to interfere in this case," the Court said in its order.The Court said that while the petitioner's claim might be bona fide (in good faith), three days might not be sufficient for the ECI make arrangements since Manipur is scheduled to go to polls on April 19. "The configuration of arrangements made for casting of votes in first round of voting on April 19 for the Lok Sabha seats in Manipur is done. It cannot be gainsaid that the ECI would require to make administrative arrangements within 3 days if the court allows the petition. It has been submitted that1 17,000 have been displaced and they are situated in Kohima, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The grant of any such relief cannot be restricted to only these areas. We are emphasising these aspects because with 3 days remaining for the polls, the course of action sought would be impracticable. The claim of petitioner may be bona fide but it has policy control by the ECI which is constitutionally mandated to do so under article 324 of the constitution," the Court said..As per the petition, the violence in the State meant that several were forced out of their homes and are currently residing out of duress in other states.The petitioner alleged that no arrangements have been made to ensure that such Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) cast their votes in the elections.The Election Commission of India (ECI) has turned a blind eye towards the state of tens of thousands of Kuki-Zo-Hmar IDPs who are going to be disenfranchised without any arrangements for the exercise of their voting rights, the plea claimed..The petition was drawn by advocates Hetvi Patel and Kaoliangpou Kamei, and filed through advocate Satya Mitra.The Supreme Court is currently seized of a a batch of pleas related to the violence in Manipur. It had earlier constituted an all-woman judicial committee headed by Justice Mittal to examine the probe being conducted into the violence.In November 2023, it had also ordered the Manipur government to ensure decent and dignified burial of the unidentified and unclaimed bodies.