NGO moves Supreme Court challenging ECI's Special Intensive Revision of rolls in Bihar
Also read: Special Intensive Revision: Enumeration forms given to 87% electors in Bihar, says Election Commission
The petition filed by NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, contended that the SIR communication from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on June 24 breach the provisions of Representation of People's Act, 1950 and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The SIR order, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country, which are part of the basic structure of the Constitution,' the petition submitted.
It said the documentation requirements of the directive, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for SIR of electoral roll in Bihar pose the risk of throwing out the names of lakhs of genuine voters from electoral rolls leading to their disenfranchisement.
'Over 3 crore voters could be excluded from voting'
Mr. Bhushan said the SIR move shifts the onus of being on the voters' list from the State to the citizens. 'It has excluded identification documents such as Aadhar or ration cards which further make marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting… As per estimates over three crore voters and more particularly from marginalised communities (such as SC, STs and migrant workers) could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order. That the current reports from Bihar, where SIR is already underway, show that lakhs of voters from villages and marginalised communities do not possess the documents as being sought for them,' the petition highlighted.
The petition said the SIR process in Bihar was violative of Article 326 (adult suffrage) in so far as it requires a voter to provide documents to prove his/her citizenship and also citizenships of his/her mother or father, failing which his/her name would not be added to the draft electoral roll and can be deleted.
'ECI has issued unreasonable and impractical timeline to conduct SIR in Bihar with close proximity to State elections which are due in November 2025. There are lakhs of citizens (whose names did not appear in 2003 electoral roll) who do not possess the documents as required under the SIR order, there are many who may be able to procure the documents but the short timeline mentioned in directive may preclude them from being able to supply the same within the time period… Bihar is a State with high poverty and migration rates where many lack access to documents like birth certificates or parental records,' the petition noted.
Since 2003, five general elections and five assembly elections have taken place in Bihar with continuous addition and deletion of names in Bihar's electoral roll.
Moreover, Special Summary Revision (SSR) was already conducted between October 29, 2024 and January 6, 2025 which addressed issues such as migration and ineligible voters due to death or other reasons. 'Thus, there is no reason for such a drastic exercise in a poll-bound State in such a short period of time, violating right to vote of lakhs of voters,' the petition argued.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi urges ECI to drop use of EVMs; wants ballot paper system reintroduced
Demanding the Election Commission of India to drop the electronic voting machines (EVM) and reintroduce the old system of ballot paper in elections, the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) appealed to all political parties to support it in larger democratic interest. Passing nine resolutions at its conference held in Madurai on Sunday, the members said that the EVMs had led to numerous doubts over their genuineness. The ballot paper alone had stood the tests in very many aspects in the past and hence, the governments should restore it in full faith. MMK president Jawahirullah, who was in the chair, led the rally taken out by the members marking the conference. The meeting urged the governments to give more rights, especially, political rights, to Muslims through a resolution. Out of the 4,123 Assembly seats in the country, only 296 among them were Muslims, which was 7.18 %. Likewise, it was still more lesser representation in Parliament, where it was a meagre 4.4 %. In panchayats, municipalities and corporations, it was far from satisfaction for the Muslims, as the number of elected representatives stood very low, the resolution said. On Tiruparankundram Sikkandar dargah row, the MMK conference said that as per the Places of Worship Special Provision Act of 1991, the governments shall protect and provide amenities to the people offering prayers at the dargah. Condemning the vice-president of India Jagdeep Dhankar for his 'irresponsible' speech at a meeting held in New Delhi recently on amending the Constitution, the members said that the Vice-President held a Constitutional position. Hence, he should not speak like a BJP spokesperson. The Wakf Amendment Act should be dropped forthwith in the larger interest of the minorities and the Union government should drop its mischievous plans. Harming the minorities would be condemned and the Tamil Nadu government should continue its role in protecting the Muslims. In his address, Mr Jawahirullah said that the governments should ensure safety and security for the minorities as per the Constitution. The joblessness under the BJP rule had risen and the privatisation of industries had resulted in erosion of public sector undertakings. He said that nation's external affairs policies towards Muslim nations was highly objectionable and India should stop its support to Israel on the Palestinian issue.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
ECI counters rumours amid Bihar's voter roll exercise row; over 1.69 cr forms collected in SIR drive
Amid swirling political controversies and rumours over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday said the first phase of the process has been completed smoothly and in accordance with guidelines. In a detailed press note, the ECI said that 'no changes have been made in the SIR instructions issued on June 24', debunking claims from various quarters that the process was being manipulated to favour the ruling dispensation ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. So far, 1.69 crore Enumeration Forms, nearly 21.46 per cent of Bihar's 7.90 crore registered voters, have been collected, with over 65 lakh forms submitted in the past 24 hours alone. "It is reiterated that SIR is being conducted as per the SIR instructions dated July 24 2025, and there is no change in the instructions. As per instructions, draft electoral rolls that will be issued on August 1 2025, will contain the names of persons whose enumeration forms are received," the poll body said. "The electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025. After publication of draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs can obtain such documents from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period", it added. In a robust rebuttal to opposition allegations of exclusion and procedural opacity, the ECI underscored the scale and transparency of the process. 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are carrying out house-to-house visits, taking live photographs and assisting electors with form submissions. Additionally, over 20,000 BLOs have been newly deployed to ensure timely completion. Over 4 lakh volunteers, including government officials, NCC cadets, and NSS members, are working to assist elderly, differently-abled, and vulnerable voters. Also involved are 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 AEROs, and 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), with 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties aiding the drive. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing political concerns, stated, "During the past 4 months, all 4,123 EROs, all 775 DEOs and all 36 CEOs have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. ECI has also invited all Recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other." This clarification comes as opposition parties in Bihar, including RJD, Congress and others, have accused the poll panel of attempting to manipulate the voter base through the SIR exercise.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
EC makes big statement on Bihar electoral roll controversy, says SIR being done to...
Election Commission of India Bihar electoral roll controversy: The Election Commission on Sunday said the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar was progressing as per its order and the draft list would contain the names of existing voters whose enumeration forms were received. The EC statement comes amid social media posts about a 'change' in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, following an outcry from opposition parties. A social media post from the Bihar chief electoral officer (CEO) made it clear that the exercise was being undertaken 'exactly' as per the notification of the Election Commission of India (ECI). 'Important Information – SIR in Bihar is progressing as per ECI's order dated 24 June 2025. As per that order, the draft electoral rolls that will be issued on August 1, 2025 will contain the names of the existing electors whose enumeration forms are received,' the CEO said in a post on X and Facebook. 'All measures are being taken to facilitate the existing electors to complete the documentation. These existing voters will have time to submit the documents even after first submitting their enumeration forms. All activities are exactly as per ECI's order dated 24.06.2025', the CEO added. The clarification comes close on the heels of an ECI advertisement in newspapers which stated that those who did not have the requisite documents at hand could 'submit only their enumeration forms' to the officials concerned. This had led to a perception that the ECI had gone back on many of the contentious parts of the mammoth exercise which, according to parties in the opposition, had become a virtual test of citizenship. Netizens flooded the social media with posts about the perceived 'change', though the CEO made no mention of these in its statement. The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which is being carried out only in Bihar, where assembly polls are due in about a couple of months, has been opposed by the INDIA bloc. INDIA bloc parties have also decided to flag the issue in the state on July 9 as part of a nationwide strike called by Left-leaning trade unions.
