India, Oct. 2 -- Indian Express's expose and a host of follow-ups by various newsrooms, including ours, have established beyond doubt that the manner in which SIR has been conducted smacks of gross institutional impropriety, if not outright subversion. What is at stake is not some academic debate about constitutional law. We are talking about voting rights of real people here. This makes SIR's wrong exclusions strike at the very heart of universal franchise-based democracy. Wrongfully deny a person welfare rights, or property, or a livelihood, and they can seek political vengeance in an election. But take away the right to vote and what is left? The institution which has allowed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to get away with all ...