Lok Sabha elections: Plea in Supreme Court seeks protection of voting rights of displaced Manipur residents

A plea has been filed before the Supreme Court 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].The matter was mentioned on Monday before a bench presided over by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who refused to give an urgent listing..As per the petition, the violence in the State has meant that several were forced out of their homes and are currently residing out of duress in other states. It alleged that no arrangements have been made to ensure that such Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) cast their votes in the elections."For these internally displaced persons (IDPs) no arrangement has been made for them to vote in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Hence approximately 18,000 persons have been denied the right to vote ... In the absence of such voting facility to the IDPs, many tribal voters are not able to exercise their franchise, not because they do not want to vote but because they have been DENIED of the opportunity to Vote," the plea said. .Democracy an essential feature of Constitution, yet no recognition of fundamental right to vote: Supreme Court.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 alleged."Most of the IDPs scattered outside of Manipur are making symbiotic living in at-least 6 districts within the state of Mizoram, Delhi and NCR, and hundreds of IDPs are earning their living by doing odd jobs in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Shillong, Kohima and Hyderabad"..The petition was drawn by advocates Hetvi Patel and Kaoliangpou Kamei and filed through advocate Satya Mitra..The Supreme Court is 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.