By Martin Shwenk Leade
Copyright indiatimes
INDIA bloc raises protest banner against Bihar SIR, ‘vote theft’.
The Supreme Court on Monday scheduled October 7 for the final hearing of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The apex court bench made it clear that it would not issue fragmented rulings on the matter and that a verdict will be put into effect across the country. The court also noted its presumption that the ECI, as a constitutional authority, was acting in accordance with the law and mandatory rules in the ongoing revision exercise in Bihar.”If we find any illegality in methodology adopted by ECI at any stage of Bihar SIR, entire exercise will be set aside. Can’t give piecemeal opinion on Bihar SIR, final verdict will be applicable for pan-India SIR,” the top court bench said.”We presume ECI, a constitutional authority, following law and mandatory rules in Bihar SIR exercise,” it added.Aadhaar as identity document In earlier hearings, the court had asked the ECI to accept Aadhaar as an additional document for establishing voter identity in Bihar’s SIR. Live EventsIt underlined, however, that Aadhaar could not serve as proof of citizenship under existing law. The bench directed the poll body to ensure the genuineness of Aadhaar submissions and to treat the card as the 12th acceptable identity document alongside the 11 already prescribed. “No one wants illegal immigrants on the electoral roll,” the judges remarked, adding that only genuine citizens should remain on the list, while those relying on forged papers must be excluded. The bench also sought clarification from the ECI over showcause notices served on officials who had declined to accept Aadhaar cards from voters. Appearing for the Commission, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi argued that 99.6% of Bihar’s 7.24 crore voters had already provided valid documents, and including Aadhaar would make little practical difference. Claims & objections process The hearing also addressed concerns over the process for filing claims and objections under the controversial exercise. The court noted that while the ECI’s schedule had closed claims and objections on September 1, voters and political parties could still file them until the last date of nominations in each constituency. To improve access and transparency, the Bihar State Legal Services Authority was directed to deploy paralegal volunteers to assist electors in submitting their applications. According to the Commission, between the Supreme Court’s interim order on August 22 and the September 1 deadline, it had received 22,723 claims for inclusion and 1,34,738 objections for exclusion. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on September 30.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onSupreme Court hearingelectoral rollsSpecial Intensive RevisionSupreme Court of Indiasupreme courtBihar electionselection commission of indiasElection Commission of India(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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