Bar Council of India Removes 107 Fake Advocates from Delhi Roll to Uphold Legal Integrity

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Bar Council of India Removes 107 Fake Advocates from  Delhi Roll to Uphold Legal Integrity The Bar Council of India (BCI) has taken decisive action in a sweeping initiative aimed at maintaining the integrity of the legal profession by removing 107 fake advocates  from the Roll of Advocates in Delhi  between 2019 and October 2024. This step comes as part of the BCI's rigorous verification process to ensure that only qualified, genuinely practising advocates remain in the profession, ultimately upholding public trust in the legal system. Strengthened Verification Framework Under Rule 32 This effort falls under Rule 32 of the Bar Council of India Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules, 2015 . The BCI  amended Rule 32 on June 23, 2023 , which empowered the BCI to verify, identify, and systematically remove unqualified and fake advocates from the Roll. The rule amendment has made the process of weeding out non-compliant individuals significantly more efficient. Accordi

Ensuring Electoral Integrity: Supreme Court Seeks Clarity on EVM-VVPAT Verification

Ensuring Electoral Integrity: Supreme Court Seeks Clarity on EVM-VVPAT Verification



Supreme Court Seeks Clarification on EVM Verification:


The Supreme Court recently sought clarification from Election Commission of India (ECI) officials regarding pleas seeking 100% verification of votes cast using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. This move comes in response to a batch of petitions aiming for comprehensive cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT records.


Queries Raised by the Bench:


During the hearing, the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta posed several questions to an ECI official regarding the functionality of EVMs, particularly inquiring whether the microcontrollers embedded in them are reprogrammable. The bench sought clarity on the placement of microcontrollers, whether in the controlling unit or the VVPAT, and whether the flash memory of these microcontrollers can be reprogrammed.


Official Response and Court's Position:


The official response indicated that each unit of the EVM system, including the ballot units, VVPAT, and chips, contains its own microcontroller housed within a secured module, and these microcontrollers are one-time programmable. Additionally, the court expressed its willingness to consider issuing directives to enhance the EVM system's security, reaffirming its commitment to modern voting methods while ruling out a return to traditional ballot paper voting.


Petitions Advocating for Voter Verifiability:


The petitions before the court advocate for more extensive verification of EVM data against VVPAT records, emphasizing the need for voters to verify that their votes have been accurately "counted as recorded." Presently, VVPAT slips from five randomly selected EVMs in each Assembly segment are verified. However, the petitioners argue that there is a legal void concerning the verification of whether votes have been counted accurately, which is essential for ensuring voter confidence in the electoral process.


Importance of Legal Clarity and Procedural Safeguard:


The plea highlights the importance of voter verifiability and calls for a clear procedure to enable voters to confirm that their votes have been accurately counted. While the current system allows voters to verify that their votes have been recorded through the displayed VVPAT slips, there remains a lack of protocol for verifying that these recorded votes have been counted accurately, underscoring the need for legal clarity and procedural safeguards.


Initiation of Dialogue and Stakeholders' Expectations:


In response to these concerns, the Supreme Court has initiated a dialogue with ECI officials to address these issues and explore potential measures to strengthen the integrity and transparency of the electoral process.


Conclusion:


The court's engagement in this matter underscores the importance of upholding democratic principles and ensuring the fairness and accuracy of elections, thereby safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens to free and fair participation in the democratic process. As the legal proceedings continue, stakeholders await further developments that may shape the future of electoral practices and safeguards in India.

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