Now, RJD, Moitra & PUCL move Supreme Court
Mahua Moitra
and
RJD
, have approached Supreme Court against
Election Commission
's special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls and told the court that the exercise is illegal and calculated to disenfranchise the state's mobile migrant population which works across India but returns home to exercise their democratic right to vote.
The parties are likely to mention the case before SC on Monday for urgent hearing.
Moitra, in her petition, submitted that the impugned order unlawfully shifted the burden of proving eligibility from the State to the individual elector and arbitrarily excludes commonly accepted identity documents such as Aadhaar and ration cards. Shifting of the burden of voter authentication onto the citizens, and to view every citizen with suspicion until proven otherwise, is a breach of the constitutional spirit, and also is in direct contravention of the statutory scheme to which EC is bound, she said.
PUCL, which moved SC through advocate Talha Abdul Rahman, submitted that the timing of the decision appears "deliberately to disenfranchise Bihar's mobile workforce during crucial electoral periods".
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
HC asks BMC to review decision to close abattoirs for only a day
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News18
3 hours ago
- News18
What Is The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision In Bihar & Why Has It Created A Stir?
The Special Intensive Revision, launched on June 24, seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are ineligible The Election Commission's decision to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll in the run-up to the assembly elections later this year has triggered major political controversy. While the commission maintains that the revision is intended to enhance transparency and remove ineligible entries from the voter list, opposition parties have raised concerns, claiming that the move may lead to the exclusion of legitimate voters. This also prompted a response from the ruling BJP, which accused the Congress of attempting to protect fraudulent entries in the rolls. But what exactly is SIR, and why has it polarised parties? News18 takes a look UNDERSTANDING SIR There are four types of electoral roll revisions: intensive, summary, partly intensive and partly summary, and special. In an intensive revision, a thorough household verification is carried out. A summary revision involves updating the electoral roll based on claims and objections regarding additions or deletions, but without any door-to-door verification. In a partly intensive and partly summary revision, the existing rolls are published as a draft, while booth-level officers simultaneously conduct household verification. A special revision is implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls. The Special Intensive Revision, launched on June 24, seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are ineligible. The last time such a revision was conducted in Bihar was in 2003. According to the Election Commission, several factors such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, the addition of young citizens reaching voting age, unreported deaths, and the presence of names of foreign illegal immigrants have made the revision essential. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told News18 on Monday that not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. 'During the past four months, all 4,123 EROs (electoral registration officer), 775 DEOs (district election officer), and 36 CEOs (chief electoral officer) have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI (Election Commission of India) 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," Kumar said. HOW WILL IT BE HELD? For the drive, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door surveys for verification during the process. 'The objective of an intensified revision is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, and no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls," an official statement reads. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the poll body official will inquire into the same before satisfaction is arrived at. If there are further issues, an appeal against the order can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer. The poll body has directed that economically weaker and other vulnerable groups, including the elderly, sick, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD), should not be harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through deployment of volunteers to take care of genuine electors. WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE? The Election Commission has stated that the Electoral Registration Officer will provide Enumeration Forms to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who will then distribute these forms to voters through home visits, offering guidance on how to complete them. Voters can also upload the forms and supporting documents online. After the forms are submitted and verified, a preliminary electoral roll will be made available on the ECI and CEO websites, and it will be shared with political parties. Both voters and political parties will have the opportunity to raise objections to the draft list. Once these objections are addressed, the final electoral roll will be published. The Election Commission is aiming to release the draft electoral roll for Bihar on August 1 and the final version by September 30, the poll body has announced. Nearly 87 per cent (6.86 crore) of Bihar's 7.90 crore voters have received enumeration forms during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR), the ECI said, noting that 1.5 crore households have already been covered in the first round of visits by booth-level officers (BLOs). According to the ECI, 1.55 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) are supporting the drive, with the BJP, RJD, and JD(U) contributing the highest numbers. News18 had reported earlier that of the total 7.89 crore voters in the state, around 4.96 crore—those who were already registered as of January 1, 2003—only need to fill out and submit the new enumeration form. However, the remaining 2.93 crore voters, which is about 37 per cent of the total, will also need to provide documents proving their Indian citizenship along with the form. The Election Commission had made submitting at least one of 11 documents a must for verification. These include birth certificates, passports, identity cards or pension payment orders issued to government employees or pensioners, permanent residence certificates, forest right certificates, caste certificates, family register prepared by state and local authorities, and land or house allotment certificates issued by the government. Aadhaar is not part of the list. However, in the face of criticism by opposition parties, the poll body has said voters can get verified in the electoral rolls despite not submitting the mandatory documents. 'If the documents are not given, the Electoral Registrar Officer will carry out verification based on investigation at the local level," EC said. A poster put up by EC says: 'If the necessary documents and photo are not available, then just fill the enumeration form and provide it to the Booth Level Officer. If you are unable to provide the necessary documents, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can take a decision on the basis of local investigation or evidence of other documents." WHY IS THE OPPOSITION PROTESTING? The Congress has criticised the revision process, arguing that it could lead to the deliberate exclusion of voters through the misuse of state machinery. In a statement, the Congress' empowered action group of leaders and experts (EAGLE) described the Election Commission's revision of electoral rolls as a solution more harmful than the problem itself. 'The INC opposes the devious Special Intensive Revision exercise ordered by the ECI for Bihar," the statement said, adding that the revision showed was EC's admission that all is not well with India's electoral rolls—a charge frequently levelled by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too has criticised the exercise, alleging that the Election Commission is targeting Bengal's youth under the guise of a new voter list verification process. 'This is very concerning. They have introduced a declaration form for getting your name on the voter list. For those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, a new declaration form must be submitted along with the parents' birth certificates to enrol their names in the voters' list. The ECI says that parents' birth certificates must be submitted. What is going on in the name of full enumeration? This is a document and declaration form from the ECI. There are many irregularities," Banerjee said. Leader of Opposition and former Deputy CM of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav, said: 'The EC's move is to disenfranchise the poor and marginalised sections of voters who have only Aadhaar as their valid document, which the EC says is not acceptable." The Opposition got a shot in the arm when Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has helped usher in several electoral reforms, moved the apex court against the EC's decision. A group of leaders from 11 parties of the INDIA bloc met with senior Election Commission officials to voice their opposition to SIR, condemning it as the 'greatest assault on the fundamental structure of the Constitution". top videos View all On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear on July 10 a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission of India's move to conduct SIR in poll-bound Bihar. Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, and Shadan Farasat jointly mentioned the matter before a partial working days bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, seeking urgent listing. About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : 2025 Bihar elections BJP congress election commission electoral roll news18 specials Location : Patna, India, India First Published: July 07, 2025, 12:01 IST News explainers What Is The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision In Bihar & Why Has It Created A Stir?
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Around 68 lakh Delhi voters to face citizenship test in electoral roll revision exercise
NEW DELHI: The upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi's electoral roll is transforming into a sweeping verification exercise that will compel millions of city residents to prove their citizenship and local residency to retain their right to vote. As per officials involved in the planning, the exercise will put nearly 68 lakh voters under the scanner, effectively testing their eligibility to remain on the electoral rolls. As reported by TNIE on Sunday, July 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified March 2008 as the cut-off date for the revision, aligning Delhi's process with a similar and controversial effort already underway in Bihar. Delhi had 1.06 crore registered voters in 2008, a number that has surged to 1.56 crore in the latest electoral roll published in January this year. Over the past 17 years, officials say around 18 lakh voters have either died or migrated. A roughly equal number has been added in successive revisions, bringing the net number of new or altered entries close to 68 lakh. The figure is over 40 per cent of the current electors. 'We omit at least a lakh names every year from the rolls due to death or migration. If we consider the difference in the voter count between 2008 and now, it conservatively adds up to 70 lakh individuals whose credentials need review," said a senior poll official.
