At the closing ceremony of a moot‑court competition in Hyderabad, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan told the audience that any attempt to strip millions of Indians of their right to vote violates the Constitution. He cited Articles 14 and 326, which guarantee equality and the adult voting right, and warned that no authority or court can condone such a move.
Bhuyan compared disenfranchising voters to "taking the soul out of the body" and argued that voting is inseparable from citizenship. He linked the right to vote to India’s struggle for independence, insisting it forms part of the Constitution’s basic structure—a layer Parliament cannot alter.
The judge’s remarks sparked a flurry of reactions on X. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh claimed the ruling proves Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has violated the Constitution, while CJP co‑convener Saurav Das warned that Kumar’s position is unsustainable. Mahua Moitra of the Mamata Banerjee faction sarcastically praised Bhuyan for speaking truth to power.
The statement arrives just before the Court’s hearing of pleas seeking Kumar’s prosecution, scheduled for tomorrow. If the Court finds the Special Intensive Revision process unlawful, it could compel the CEC to resign or face criminal charges.
For voters across the country, the ruling is a reminder that their ballot is a hard‑won treasure, one that no government can strip away without a fair hearing.