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NDTV
7 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Poll Watchdog Challenges Election Body's Bihar Roll Revision, Moves Court
New Delhi: The Association of Democratic Reforms has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Election Commission's direction for a Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls in Bihar. The EC on June 24 issued instructions to carry out an SIR in Bihar, apparently to weed out ineligible names and ensure only eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll. Bihar goes to the polls later this year. The NGO has sought the setting aside of the order and communication, arguing that it violates Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the Representation of People's Act, 1950, and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who filed the plea, said the EC order "can arbitrarily and without due process" disenfranchise lakhs of voters and disrupt free and fair elections. "That the documentation requirements of the directive, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for the said Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Roll in Bihar further make this exercise bound to result in removal of names of lakhs of genuine voters from electoral rolls leading to their disenfranchisement," Prashant Bhushan said. The last such revision in Bihar was conducted in 2003. According to the EC, 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 immigrants. It said that with the exercise, it wants to ensure the integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. The SIR is being conducted by the booth officers, who are conducting a house-to-house survey for verification. The EC said it will scrupulously adhere to the constitutional and legal provisions as laid down in Article 326 of the Constitution and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in carrying out the revision. PTI PKS VN VN (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
News18
06-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Bihar Electoral Roll Review: ADR Approaches Supreme Court, Calls Move 'Unconstitutional'
Last Updated: The Election Commission of India on Saturday said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing at a robust pace The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a key NGO focused on electoral reforms, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India's directive for a 'Special Intensive Revision" (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. Filed by Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday, ADR labels the ECI's directive 'unconstitutional", cautioning that it might disenfranchise millions of voters and disrupt the free and fair elections, a fundamental part of the Constitution. The NGO's petition points out issues such as 'lack of due process" and 'the unreasonably short timeline" regarding the ECI's order, dated June 24. ADR argues that this directive unfairly shifts the burden of proving eligibility from the state to individual citizens. The petition emphasises that the SIR demands stringent documentation, often excluding commonly held identification documents like Aadhaar cards or ration cards. This exclusion particularly impacts marginalised communities, including Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and migrant workers, who often do not possess more formal documents such as birth certificates or parental records. ADR estimates that over three crore voters, especially from vulnerable sections of society, rural areas, or those who have migrated, could be excluded from the electoral rolls due to these rigorous requirements and the limited time for compliance. The NGO argues that the ECI's order violates fundamental rights protected under Articles 14 (equality before law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), 325 (no person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste, or sex), and 326 (universal adult franchise) of the Constitution. It also asserts violations of provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. ADR's legal challenge follows similar objections raised by a delegation of 11 opposition parties, who met the Election Commission on Wednesday, to protest the same electoral revision, famously calling it 'Votebandi". The opposition voiced concerns that this exercise could threaten democracy in Bihar. ADR's petition reinforces these apprehensions, seeking to overturn the ECI's order and calling for an immediate halt to its implementation. ADR stresses that such a drastic measure is unnecessary, especially since a Special Summary Revision was already conducted between October 2024 and January 2025. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the petition soon, with the electoral future of millions hanging in the balance ahead of the critical Bihar assembly elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing at a robust pace, with extensive participation from electoral officials, political party representatives, and thousands of volunteers working at the grassroots level to ensure no eligible voter is left out. According to an official statement from the Commission, as of 6 pm on Saturday, a total of 1,04,16,545 enumeration forms had been received—13.19 per cent of the total 7,89,69,844 registered electors in Bihar as of June 24, 2025. The percentage of enumeration forms distributed has reached 93.57 per cent, with 7,38,89,333 forms already handed out. The ECI highlighted the tireless efforts of 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who are going door-to-door, assisting electors in filling and submitting their enumeration forms. In many instances, BLOs are also capturing live photographs of electors using mobile devices, helping them avoid the hassle of visiting photo studios. To facilitate ease of access, partially filled forms are available for download on the ECI's voter portal, and the ECINET app, where electors can also upload the completed forms themselves. In addition to the existing workforce, 20,603 additional BLOs are being deployed to ensure the timely and smooth completion of the revision process. The campaign is also being supported by nearly 4 lakh volunteers, including government officials, NCC cadets, and NSS members, who are assisting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities (PwDs), the ailing, and others with mobility challenges. The process is being closely monitored and facilitated by 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar. Political parties are also playing a key role in the process, the ECI said, adding a total of 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various parties are actively supporting the SIR exercise by coordinating with BLOs and helping electors. (With agency inputs) 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 : bihar election supreme court Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 06, 2025, 05:37 IST
Hindustan Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Plea in Supreme Court challenges ECI revision of electoral roll in Bihar
The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has approached the Supreme Court questioning the manner and timing of the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar amid a political storm over the issue. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) filed the petition in the Supreme Court through Advocate Prashant Bhushan In its public interest litigation (PIL), ADR said SIR needs to be set aside, as insisting on people to prove their citizenship and that of their parents within short notice and without relying upon easily available identity documents such as Aadhaar card will potentially disenfranchise nearly 3 crore voters. The petition filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday said, 'The order dated June 24 issued by ECI has shifted the onus of being on the voters' list from the state to citizens. It has excluded identification documents such as Aadhaar or ration cards which further make marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting.' Terming that the timing and manner adopted by ECI was suspect, the petition alleged that SIT violates fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21, besides other provisions of the Constitution. It said, '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 basic structure of the Constitution.' While ECI has begun the exercise, Opposition parties have criticised the move raising similar apprehensions as raised in the petition. The declaration as required under the SIR process is violative of Article 326, the petition said, 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 from the same. Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA) allows ECI to direct a special revision of electoral rolls 'for reasons to be recorded.' While deletion of names from electoral rolls can be on grounds of death, nonresidence, or disqualification mentioned under Section 16 of RPA, 'While SIR of Bihar or any other state of country is a positive step, the manner in which ECI has directed the conduct of SIR in a poll bound state like Bihar, has raised questions from all stakeholders, particularly the voters,' ADR stated. Coupled with this, 'ECI has issued unreasonable and impractical timeline to conduct SIR in Bihar with close proximity to state elections which are due in November 2025,' that could disenfranchise lakhs of voters in the state who do not possess any of the 11 documents required under the SIR order and whose names do not figure in the 2003 electoral roll, it added. A Special Summary Revision (SSR) was carried out between October 29, 2024 and January 6, 2025 to address issues of migration and ineligible voters due to death or other reasons. Pointing to this fact, the petition said, 'There is no reason for such a drastic exercise in a poll bound state in such a short period of time, violating the right to vote of lakhs of voters.' The problem is aggravated due to Bihar being a state with high poverty and migration rates where persons, mostly belonging to the marginalised communities, may lack access to documents such as birth certificates or parental records. 'As per estimates, over 3 crore voters and more particularly from marginalized communities (such as SC, STs and migrant workers) could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order. The current reports from Bihar, where SIR is already underway, show that lakhs of voters from villages and marginalized communities do not possess the documents sought from them,' the petition added. ECI on Friday announced that over 68.6 million enumeration forms have been distributed in Bihar, covering over 87% of the 79 million enrolled electors as of June 24, under the SIR exercise. BLOs completed visits to nearly 15 million households by July 4. 'The first visit of BLOs to nearly 1.5 crore been completed today and over 87% Enumeration Forms (i.e. 6,86,17,932) out of 7,89,69,844 (nearly 7.90 crore) electors in Bihar who are enrolled as on June 24, 2025, have been distributed during SIR exercise being conducted in the state,' ECI said in a press release. Under the SIR exercise, the first in the state since 2003, voters have to give documents to prove their date and place of birth along with the forms being distributed in all districts – if their name doesn't figure in the 2003 rolls. There are a total of 11 documents an elector can provide. The poll watchdog has said that the exercise will eventually be carried out nationwide
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
NGO moves Supreme Court challenging ECI's Special Intensive Revision of rolls in Bihar
The Election Commission of India's move to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar came under challenge in the Supreme Court on Saturday (July 5, 2025) for violating the rights to adult suffrage, non-discrimination, dignity and equality of the ordinary and marginalised people of the State. 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.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Panel discussion held to seek justice for Rohingya refugees
Days after the Supreme Court called the petition moved against the Rohingya being 'cast into the international waters' by the Government of India as 'fanciful ideas', a panel of six members comprising human rights lawyers and social workers gathered to seek justice for the refugees. The panel discussion comes in the light of the Rohingya refugees living in the national capital alleging that their family members were picked up from their camps and deported overnight to a shore near the India-Myanmar border, left in the international waters with only a lifejacket. Following this, the Supreme Court bench hearing petitions from Rohingya refugees to put a stay on such deportations by the government, refused their plea. Human rights lawyers Prashant Bhushan, Colin Gonsalves, and social activist Harsh Mander were present at the panel discussion along with journalist Pamela Philipose, human rights activist Rita Manchanda and social worker Priyali Sur. During the discussion, the members of the panel presented a study of the various case studies and media reports, including one report by The Hindu on the subject matter. 'Inhumane' deportation Speaking in the panel, Mr. Bhushan presented case studies of families who were impacted by the 'inhumane' deportation. 'The deportation process that India followed for the Rohingya refugees not only violates the International law but also its own Constitutional laws,' he said. Deporting refugees to a country where there is a genocide against them goes against Constituional values of right to live and international genocide convention, the senior lawyer added. Adding to the conversation, Ms. Sur, a social worker running the Azaadi Project, an organisation that works for women survivors of war and conflict, said that while it is important to question how the Rohingya refugees could be left in the water, it is equally important to question the way they are treated inside the country. 'The community's name has become a taboo; there is unwarranted detention for years, the children are separated from their parents and the conditions of the detention centres is inhuman,' she pointed out.
