THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Supreme Court senior advocate Dushyant Dave expressed grave concern over the functioning of the Chief Election Commissioner, specifically criticising the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. “In the past 48 hours the two election commissioners have brought out that the Chief Election Commissioner was doing something which is completely wrong, and yet nothing was done. “The Supreme Court has allowed the SIR exercise to take place and as a result the elections in Bihar and West Bengal have taken place, disenfranchising millions.”
Delivering the 17th K M Bashir Memorial Lecture at the Science & Technology Museum Auditorium on Thursday, he warned that India’s constitutional democratic framework faces unprecedented threats from administrative overreach, systemic corruption in the judiciary, and the dominance of professional politicians.
He argued that under the guise of the SIR exercise, lakhs of legitimate voters-including himself and his wife-are receiving notices that jeopardise their constitutional right to adult franchise, effectively disenfranchising millions across states like Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Delhi.
Turning his critique toward the legal system, Dave highlighted expanding executive influence and institutional decay, pointing to corruption in the judiciary and a distinct lack of social diversity among judges. He noted that recent top court appointments failed to include a single woman judge, leaving the bench disconnected from the required equitable justice.
Fathima Thahiliya MLA, delivered a special address during the event.