People raised in State-run orphanages and charity homes struggle with SIR rules on parent mapping

Md. Palash Shekh is in a fix. Rescued from a railway station and brought up in the government-run Subhayan Home for Boys in West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district, he had to leave the shelter once he turned 18. He has a voter ID card and an Aadhaar card proving his own identity, but has no way to provide any evidence of his parents, as required for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in West Bengal and 11 other States and Union Territories.

Unable to “map” either of his parents to the voters’ list of 2002, when the last SIR was carried out, Mr. Shekh falls into the “unmapped” category, and has now got a hearing notice from poll officials.

With no lineage to claim in the SIR, it is up to the State to provide him with the necessary documentation, he says, failing which he might be disenfranchised.

Parent mapping rules

According to SIR rules, those born between 1987 to 2004 need to furnish their own documents as well as that of one of their parents, while those born after 2004 need to show their own documents as well as those of both their parents if they are unmapped. Even if someone wants to register as a fresh voter by filling Form 6, a separate declaration has to be signed regarding the mapping of parents to the 2002 list.

Many people like Mr. Shekh who were brought up in State-run orphanages and charity homes are now facing the same conundrum, with no way to map their parents as required by the rules. Most wards of the State had to leave their shelter homes once they turned 18, and either have no parents or relatives or are not in touch with them.

Little support after age 18

According to a 2016 study by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, there are approximately 9,500 child care institutions (CCIs) in India (including government-run homes and NGO-supported homes), housing nearly 3.7 lakh children at any given time. Every year, thousands of “Care-Leavers” turn 18 and transition out of these homes.

Election Commission of India officials have earlier said that in case of an orphan brought up in institutions, the orphanage’s name will be entered in the column for parents. However, there are no specific guidelines regarding this, so what is unfolding on the ground is very different.

According to Article 53 of the Juvenile Justice Act, CCIs are required to assist children with regard to birth registration and to obtain a proof of their identity, where required. In many cases though, such children are left to fend for themselves when they turn 18.

Unmapped trap

Take the case of Bharat Jatiya, who was picked up by the police in Ajmer as a young child. Abandoned by his parents, he was brought up at various shelter homes and completed Class 12 from the Resource Institute for Human Rights (RIHR) in Jaipur.

Though Mr. Jatiya has an Aadhaar card and his Class 10 and 12 certificates, he has not been able to submit Form 6 to register as a voter under the SIR as he has to fill in a separate form with a declaration about his parents’ names in the 2002-03 list when the last SIR was conducted.

The ECI’s normal rule for orphans seeking to register as new voters says: “If an orphan is brought up from infancy in an orphanage and is not in a position to give name of either of his parents, his name shall be entered into electoral roll, and under the column meant for father’s/mother’s/husband’s name, the name of the orphanage shall be mentioned.”

Under the SIR, however, even when fresh voters are being registered using Form 6, a separate declaration has to be signed regarding the mapping of parents to the 2002 list.

“There are many who find themselves in this ‘unmapped trap’ with these rules. These people are born in this country and the government needs to consider them as their citizens,” says Vijay Goyal of the RIHR.