PEOPLES'UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTY(D) vs ELECTORAL REGISTRATION OFFICER — W.P.(C) No. 56/1995

Case Summary: Lal Babu Hussein & Others v. Electoral Registration Officer Court Decision: The Supreme Court quashed mass citizenship verification proceedings conducted by the Election Commission in Bombay and Delhi, finding they violated natural justice principles. The Court held that Electoral Registration Officers must disclose the material basis for suspecting someone is not a citizen, accept all documentary evidence (not just limited prescribed documents), and give affected persons a meaningful opportunity to rebut allegations before deletion from electoral rolls. Key Reasoning: While citizenship is a prerequisite for voter registration, the burden cannot shift entirely to existing voters. Those already on electoral rolls are presumed to have been properly verified. Any removal requires quasi-judicial inquiry with fair procedures, disclosure of evidence, and independent assessment—not mere reliance on police reports presented to the affected person. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.