Government evades question on verification of candidates affidavit during polls, says matter is sub judice

Thu Dec 18 17:01:13 UTC 2025: News Article:

Government Dodges Question on Candidate Affidavit Verification Mechanism

NEW DELHI, December 18, 2025 (The Hindu e-Paper) – The Indian government has side-stepped a question in the Rajya Sabha regarding the establishment of a mechanism to verify the affidavits submitted by candidates during elections. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, responding to queries from Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge, cited the matter as being “sub judice” before the Allahabad High Court.

Mr. Kharge had inquired whether the government had taken note of a committee’s observation that the responses from both the government and the Election Commission of India (ECI) on creating a mechanism to verify candidate’s affidavits were non-committal. He pressed for details on whether the government planned to revisit recommendations for a transparent affidavit verification system utilizing technology and real-time data checks. He also questioned if consultations had been held with the Election Commission or other agencies on the matter and if so, the details thereof and by when the verification mechanism would be put in place.

In his written response, Mr. Meghwal stated that the matter of verifying candidate affidavits is currently under judicial review by the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

A division bench of the Allahabad High Court, in August, had pointed out that the ECI is the statutory body responsible for making asset verification reports (received from the Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT) public. Justices Manjive Shukla and Ranjan Roy requested an affidavit from the ECI explaining why the verification reports, mandated for public disclosure by the Supreme Court in 2018, had not been published to date.

The ECI has previously stated that the responsibility for publishing these reports lies with the Income Tax department. The lack of clarity and definitive action on this crucial aspect of election transparency continues to raise concerns.

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