Guwahati: A remark by former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi on the prospect of going to jail drew attention at a discussion in New Delhi on Saturday on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the High-level Committee on Demographic Change.
The nearly six-hour programme, held at the Constitution Club of India, focused on citizenship, the SIR exercise, and the roles of the Election Commission of India and the Supreme Court.
The event was attended by former bureaucrats, retired judges, lawyers including Vrinda Grover, Yogendra Yadav and Arundhati Roy, as well as students.
During the discussion, several participants said they were willing to protest against the SIR exercise and the demographic panel, even if it meant going to jail.
Towards the end of the programme, Quraishi said he was not prepared to go to jail because, while others would likely secure bail, he believed he would not.
The remark prompted a response from conclave chair G.N. Devy, who said that even if Quraishi’s comment was made in a lighter vein, it reflected a worrying reality when voiced by a former IAS officer and a former Chief Election Commissioner.