592 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
whether he corrects it or not, it is not in his power to reject a nomination paper on the ground of technical mistake.
Shri Rudrappa (Mysore) : .......... There may be so many cases in these nomination papers where the date of birth has to be filled and if the candidate is living in the village he cannot get the date of birth.
Mr. Chairman : Date of birth ?
Shri Rudrappa : That will be one of the items. I am giving an instance. There will be the required age—above thirty or twenty years. How he may find out and put the correct date of birth, if necessary ......... There must be some scope for the Returning Officer to rectify these clerical errors and technical mistakes. If such a provision is not included, I think it will result in very great injustice to many and it will also result in great litigation even after the election. Therefore this provision is quite necessary in the interests of the candidates as well as in the interest of the elections and the electors themselves.
Dr. Ambedkar : I do not accept the amendment.
Shri Syamnandan Sahaya : Then I would like to withdraw it.
The amendment was, by leave, withdrawn.
Shri Syamnandan Sahaya : There is another amendment in my name (No. 14 in Supplementary List No. 3). This also is an attempt to clarify the position. The amendment reads :
In the first Proviso to sub-clause (3) of clause 31, after the word “candidate” occurring in line 2. Insert the words “for the reserved seats”.
The proviso reads like this :
“Provided that in a constituency where any seat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes or for the Scheduled Tribes, no candidate shall be deemed to be qualified to be chosen to fill that seat unless his nomination paper is accompanied by a declaration verified in the prescribed manner that the candidate is a member of the Scheduled Castes or of the Scheduled Tribes for which the seat has been so reserved...........”