Overview
- The Election Commission of India told an RTI applicant in an October 16 reply that the name and version of the software used for the Special Intensive Revision are exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act as commercial confidence and trade secrets.
- The commission also said questions about automated flagging, AI or machine‑learning use do not qualify as ‘information’ under Section 2(f) and declined to describe who reviews anomalies, citing Section 8(1)(g) on safety and confidential sources.
- The ECI maintained that no new software was developed or procured for SIR and that final decisions on adding or removing electors rest with constituency Electoral Registration Officers, who act on facts and records.
- Opposition leaders, led by the Congress, have demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and called for suspension of the SIR, with a large protest planned for November 1 and the RTI applicant preparing appeals to challenge the refusal.
- The dispute comes after reporting that SIR has removed roughly 130 million names and that two election commissioners recorded at least 14 formal dissents about access and procedures, raising concerns about transparency, voter disenfranchisement and legal scrutiny to follow.