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The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress welcomes Supreme Court order on proof of identity in Bihar SIR
The Congress on Saturday (July 12, 2025) said it was satisfied with the Supreme Court order asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider the Aadhaar card, EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card), and ration card as valid proof of identity for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi, senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party had never pressed for a stay on the SIR exercise in the first hearing itself. Also read: Bihar voter list row hearing in Supreme Court | highlights The top court had validated the Aadhar card, EPIC, and ration card as proofs of identity, roughly covering 90% of the people who could be affected by the SIR exercise, Mr. Singhvi said. 'India lives on Aadhaar, from rations to rail, but for elections, it's suddenly a fairy tale? You amended the law to embrace Aadhaar, then kicked it out from the main bazaar,' he said, asserting the Aadhaar card was an important proof of identity. The Bihar SIR of electoral rolls could disenfranchise about two crore voters out of about 4.9 crore voters registered after the year 2003, the Congress leader said. 'It was beyond the jurisdiction of the Election Commission of India to verify the citizenship of people,' Mr. Singhvi, who also argued the case before the Supreme Court, said. Ten elections had been held since 2003, when the previous SIR was completed. 'What was the hurry to carry out another revision just before the Bihar elections, which are just a few months away. The previous revision in 2003 was done one year before the Parliamentary elections, and about two years before the Assembly elections,' the Congress leader said. Editorial | Careful curation: On Bihar's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls The exercise would mainly affect the marginalised, poor, disadvantaged, minority voters, Mr. Singhvi said. Further, he argued, during the months of July and August, most workers in Bihar migrated to different parts of the country for paddy sowing, and there was also the imminent threat of floods in the State. 'It will be impossible for such people to produce proof of residence, like the birth certificates of their parents, in such a short span of time,' Mr. Singhvi said.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"All other merits remain open...": Abhishek Manu Singhvi as SC allows ECI to continue SIR in Bihar
New Delhi: As Supreme Court of India allowed the Election Commission of India to continue with the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar electoral rolls , senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi representing the petitioners challenging ECI's directive said that all the "merits" remain open to them and court has given the time to reply by the end of July. He mentioned that the Supreme Court "clearly" suggested the inclusion of three documents, namely Aadhar, EC voter ID , and ration card , to be considered by the EC during the enumeration procedure. "Since I am the lead counsel in the Supreme Court for eight political parties and also for Ms Mahua Moitra , I will not speak elaborately on the merits of the matter. After extensive arguments, the honourable Supreme Court has clearly suggested that there are three documents namely Aadhar, EC voter ID and ration card they also considered by the EC in the process of enumeration. The two, they were alleged us to be excluded all over Bihar. This is a significant advance. All other merits remain open and time for reply by the end of July has been given", Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI. The Supreme Court on Thursday 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. Live Events "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. 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. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"All other merits remain open...": Abhishek Manu Singhvi as SC allows ECI to continue SIR in Bihar
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): As Supreme Court of India allowed the Election Commission of India to continue with the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar electoral rolls, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi representing the petitioners challenging ECI's directive said that all the 'merits' remain open to them and court has given the time to reply by the end of July. He mentioned that the Supreme Court 'clearly' suggested the inclusion of three documents, namely Aadhar, EC voter ID, and ration card, to be considered by the EC during the enumeration procedure. 'Since I am the lead counsel in the Supreme Court for eight political parties and also for Ms Mahua Moitra, I will not speak elaborately on the merits of the matter. After extensive arguments, the honourable Supreme Court has clearly suggested that there are three documents namely Aadhar, EC voter ID and ration card they also considered by the EC in the process of enumeration. The two, they were alleged us to be excluded all over Bihar. This is a significant advance. All other merits remain open and time for reply by the end of July has been given', Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI. The Supreme Court on Thursday 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. 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. (ANI)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Opposition, petitioners call SC order a big step forward
Opposition parties and petitioners have termed the Supreme Court 's order on the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise a "significant advantage," saying it puts the onus on the Election Commission (EC) to include Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration card among accepted documents for voter verification . "The Honourable Supreme Court has clearly suggested that three documents-Aadhaar, EC voter ID and ration cards-be considered by the EC in the enumeration process. These were alleged by us to have been excluded across Bihar. This is a significant advance," said senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi , who is representing eight political parties , Mahua Moitra, and PUCL in the matter. Singhvi said all other contentions remain open and the EC has time to file its reply till the end of July. The court will hear the matter again on July 28. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo He further argued that the EC had, for the first time, reversed the presumption of eligibility for existing voters by putting all electors enrolled after 2003 in a "state of suspended animation" until they proved their status. He also pointed out that the EC was demanding birth certificates, including those of parents, as proof-something the petitioners contended was outside the EC's jurisdiction. "These and other substantive points will be considered by the court after pleadings are completed. It is an ongoing, sub judice exercise," he added. Live Events RJD MP Manoj Jha, also a petitioner, told ET that the order "has shown a path of inclusion." "Prima facie, the SC believes Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration card must be part of the accepted documents. There was widespread fear of exclusion, and the court has pointed to a way forward," he said. Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), another petitioner in the case, echoed similar sentiments. ADR founding member Jagdeep Chhokar said, "We didn't get all that we expected, but it could have been worse. The court has suggested the inclusion of Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration card. We will watch the EC's response. If these are not included, the hearing is on July 28."
India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Supreme Court agrees to hear pleas against voter roll revision in poll-bound Bihar
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The matter will now be heard on Thursday (July 10).The pleas, filed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the People's Union for Civil Liberties, sought a pause in the electoral roll revision June 24, the Election Commission issued instructions to carry out an SIR in Bihar, to weed out ineligible names and ensure only eligible citizens are included in the electoral rolls. In a statement, the Election Commission made it clear that while voters were required to "submit their documents anytime before July 25, 2025", those who failed to do so would get an opportunity "during the claims and objections period".Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought an urgent hearing into the matter. The Supreme Court then said it would hear the pleas on Thursday and gave time to the parties to file the lawyers for the respective parties said, with the July 25 deadline approaching, the names of lakhs of people "will be deleted from electoral rolls". They said the revision exercise will largely affect women and the this, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who filed the plea, called it Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs). "Bihar SIR petition allowed in Supreme Court... Hearing on Thursday. Satyameva Jayate," she wrote on RJD MP Manoj Jha sought the top court's immediate intervention in the poll body's voter rolls' revision OPPOSITION IS PROTESTING AGAINST POLL BODY'S EXERCISE?The Opposition has vehemently criticised the poll panel's process, which seeks to cover nearly eight crore voters by July 25, questioning the timing of the exercise. They alleged that the move would lead to disenfranchisement of over two crore leader Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar's Leader of Opposition, has questioned why, unlike the previous revision, which took place in 2003 across the country, the current exercise was being carried out only in the of the INDIA bloc, of which the RJD is a part, have also held parleys with Election Commission officials in Delhi and Patna to share their the BJP-led NDA defended the exercise, accusing the Opposition of trying to come up with an "excuse ahead of a certain defeat in elections".According to the Election Commission, the exercise was necessitated by rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal poll panel said that with the exercise, it wanted to ensure the integrity and preparation of error-free electoral which has 243 Assembly seats, is likely to go to the polls in October-November this year.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Supreme Court#Bihar
