'Every form of elite understanding of democratic process must be rejected'

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud said on Friday every form of "elite understanding" of the democratic process that educated people are better decision-makers must be rejected.

He said the concept of universal adult franchise is linked to the idea of participatory democracy and individuals, whom the society has "despised" as being uneducated, have shown tremendous political acumen and awareness of local problems, which even the educated may not understand.

He was delivering the 8th Dr L M Singhvi Memorial Lecture on the theme "Universal Adult Franchise: Translating India's Political Transformation into a Social Transformation" here at an event where Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was the chief guest. The CJI said the introduction of universal adult franchise was a revolutionary act at a time when such a right had only recently been extended to women, people of colour, and the working-class in supposedly "mature" western democracies.

"In this sense, our Constitution was a feminist document, as well as an egalitarian socially transformative document. It was a break from the colonial and pre-colonial legacy, the boldest move adopted by the Constitution that was truly a product of Indian imagination," he said.

Besides Dhankhar and the CJI, Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate A M Singhvi, Founding Vice Chancellor of O P Jindal Global University Prof C Raj Kumar also addressed the gathering. The CJI said universal adult franchise was a solid determination of India's founding leaders to create a democratic state, however, the translation of the right to vote being bestowed upon citizens and its realisation has not been a simple journey.

He said preparation of the first electoral roll was also a "momentous task", as the majority of the population (86 per cent) was illiterate and the new Republic of India was grappling with the horrors of partition, war and famine.

Justice Chandrachud said the Election Commission of India at that time had innovated with outreach campaigns and the poll panel now has, on multiple occasions, set up polling booths for a single voter.

"In the same vein, the plight of the migrant workers must be considered, who most often are unable to effectively cast their vote in their constituency. Most migrant workers leave their hometowns and have to migrate to different cities, different states and different corners of the country in search of livelihood for themselves and their families," he said.

The CJI said the Indian experiment with universal adult franchise contradicts all myths against it. "It was believed that only a few had the wisdom to vote. Our experience tells us that even the most vulnerable have the political consciousness to choose the leader they want," he said.