SC observation on Bihar voter-list revision 'befitting' reply; Rahul, Tejashwi must apologise: BJP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"What bigger taunt can there be?": Ashok Gehlot hits out at EC after SC's order on Bihar's voter list revision
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], July 12 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday criticised the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it a politically motivated move. Citing the Supreme Court's observation that even the judiciary does not have the authority being exercised by the EC, Gehlot said, 'What bigger taunt can there be?' 'Everyone knows about the way the BJP run the governance with Nitish Kumar on the front... The environment of Bihar is in favour of the INDIA alliance. When I went to Patna, I saw there might be a change,' Gehlot said. He questioned the feasibility of the ECI's SIR exercise just months ahead of elections. 'Election Commission is conducting SIR a month before the elections, while it is impossible to survey two crore people...' he said. 'A Supreme Court judge said this authority is not with me, what bigger taunt can there be?' he added. On ticket distribution for the Bihar elections, he said, 'Everything will happen smoothly...' Gehlot also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's article that questioned the Election Commission's functioning during the Maharashtra elections. 'The election commissions began the survey a month ago, and they are trying to cut the names of people who have been voting for 10 years. If the intention was to add new names, people might have accepted it, but this is unacceptable,' he said. Commenting on the state of democratic institutions, he added, 'If democracy is to be strengthened, then the CBI, ED... should also be strengthened. These are the premium agencies, but were misused by the government. The environment in the country is not good anymore. People do not trust each other these days.' On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not stay the SIR process but asked the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as admissible documents to prove voter identity during the SIR of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar. 'We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay,' the bench stated in its order. In its order, the top court noted that the timeline for the process is very short since elections in Bihar are due in November. The apex court posted for hearing on July 28 the pleas challenging ECI's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and asked the poll panel to file its affidavit within one week. During the hearing, the bench opined that Aadhaar should be included within the list of documents permissible as an ID proof. The apex court was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct the SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The petitions challenging the ECI decision were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam. The petitions sought a direction to quash the ECI's June 24 directive, which requires large sections of voters in Bihar to submit proof of citizenship to remain on the electoral rolls. The petition also raised concerns over the exclusion of widely held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards, stating that this would disproportionately affect the poor and marginalised voters, especially in rural Bihar. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Violation of people's voting rights": Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on SIR in Bihar
ANI 12 Jul 2025, 11:30 GMT+10 Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 12 (ANI): Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar is a 'violation' of people's voting rights and stated the exercise has already caused 'chaos' in the poll-bound Bihar. The State will have elections later in the year. '... The intention behind conducting this SIR in Bihar will cause significant difficulties for the common people, especially those from the backwards classes. With elections approaching, they are being told to prove they are citizens of the country. Has any government in India ever issued a citizenship certificate to anyone? No one has such a certificate. Who will decide this? This has already caused chaos in Bihar,' the Congress told ANI on Friday. The Congress leader further said, 'What is the reason for this haste? This is a violation of people's voting rights. Just as demonetization happened, the government is now moving toward 'vote-bandi.' We oppose this. Now, even the Supreme Court has said that Aadhaar cards and ration cards should be recognised... Why isn't this happening across India?' Chowdhury's remarks came in response to an ongoing debate over the use of Aadhaar in the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Bihar. On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed the Election Commission to continue with its exercise of conducting a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The Election Commission launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to update the state's electoral rolls. However, opposition parties have raised concerns, arguing that the short timeline and strict requirements could lead to the exclusion of many eligible voters. The apex court posted for hearing on July 28 the pleas challenging ECI's move to conduct SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and asked the poll panel to file its affidavit within one week. (ANI)
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Putin Aide DESTROYS Merz For Asking Russia To Pay For Ukraine Damages
Supreme Court Asks EC to Consider Aadhaar, Ration, Voter ID for Bihar Voter Roll Revision The Supreme Court has allowed the Election Commission of India to continue with its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, but not without raising serious questions about its timing and methodology. The apex court asked why such a sweeping exercise was launched just months before elections, warning that it "goes to the root of democracy and the power to vote." The Court also asked the EC to consider accepting documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for verifying voter eligibility, especially amid opposition fears of disenfranchisement. However, it dismissed arguments that the EC lacked the authority to conduct the revision, noting that it was last done in 2003. The next hearing is set for July 28, and the EC has until July 21 to respond. No interim order has been passed yet. Is this voter clean-up or voter suppression? The courtroom battle is far from over.#supremecourt #biharelections #voterroll #electioncommission #aadhaar #votingrights #bjpvsindia #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews 9.3K views | 1 day ago
