The controversy over the notice issued to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is not really about a clerical error or an age mismatch. It is about the collision between mass administrative processes and individual dignity in an increasingly politicised environment. When a Nobel laureate becomes the face of a bureaucratic notice, the issue ceases to be technical and turns instantly symbolic. At one level, the explanation offered by electoral authorities ~ that the notice was auto-generated due to a “logical discrepancy” and later resolved through a home visit ~ appears procedurally sound. Large-scale data exercises inevitably throw up anomalies, and systems are designed to flag them.

But governance is not only about systems; it is also about judgement. The inability to distinguish between a genuine case of inconsistency and an obvious, easily verifiable entry error exposes the limitations of mechanised administration. What has sharpened the reaction is the context. The........

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