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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Supreme Court to hear case against Bihar SIR today: What is the case about?
The Supreme Court of India is set to hear the pleas challenging the revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar on Monday, July 29. The plea before the top court challenges the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision ahead of the assembly elections in the state. The plea before the top court challenges the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision ahead of the assembly elections in the state. (Vipin Kumar/ Hindustan Times) The matter is expected to be heard by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. The plea before the apex court argues that the SIR in Bihar could result in the disenfranchisement of a certain segment of Bihar's population. Also Read | Supreme Court to review Delhi's old vehicle ban today: What's the policy and why was it paused? "The petition submits that the SIR order dated June 24, 2025, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of citizens 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," states Association for Democratic Reforms, the NGO challenging the revision. The NGO has also questioned the exclusion of Aadhar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents during the electoral roll revision. The Election Commission of India, however, has defended the exercise. In its affidavit before the court, the poll body has justified the revision and stated that the exercise will add to the "purity of the election by weeding out ineligible persons." Also Read | Bihar electors' number may dip for 1st time since 2005 "The entitlement to vote flows from Article 326 read with Sections 16 and 19 of the RP Act 1950 and Section 62 of the RP Act 1951, which contains certain qualifications with respect to citizenship, age, and ordinary residency. An ineligible person has no right to vote, and thus, cannot claim a violation of Articles 19 and 21 in this regard," said the polling body. What is Bihar SIR? The Election Commission of India launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar on June 24. This decision comes ahead of the highly anticipated assembly elections in the state. As per ECI, the objective of the exercise is to update and clean up the electoral booths through house-to-house verification by Booth-Level Officers across Bihar. The exercise has been criticised by the opposition governments at the state and central levels. In the monsoon session of the Parliament, INDIA bloc MPS have challenged the exercise, stating that the SIR is removing "genuine voters" from the electoral rolls. A month after the exercise started, the Election Commission has stated that around 35 lakh voters in the Bihar electoral rolls have been flagged as missing. As per the press release issued on Sunday, many have moved to other states, some are deceased, some have not submitted the forms, and few have refused to register.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Today in Politics: Parliament set for heated debate on Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor
The first week of disruption in Parliament's Monsoon session is set to give way to a fiery debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor from Monday as the ruling NDA and the Opposition prepare to lock horns over the two issues steeped in national security and foreign policy imperatives. The BJP-led NDA and Opposition parties are expected to field their top guns during the discussion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Sources said Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be speaking on the issues amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may make an intervention to convey his government's 'robust' stand against terrorism. Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, may lead the charge against the government along with Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, besides a host of other members. The two sides have consented to a marathon 16-hour debate in each House, which invariably stretches longer in practice. Besides its battery of ministers and leaders like Anurag Thakur, Sudhanshu Trivedi and Nishikant Dubey, the ruling NDA is expected to field its members from the seven multi-party delegations that had travelled to over 30 world capitals to present India's case after Operation Sindoor. They include Shrikant Shinde of the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Jha of the JD(U) and Harish Balayogi of the TDP, among others. A big question mark is on whether Shashi Tharoor, who had led the delegation to the US among other countries, will be picked as a speaker by the Congress, as the seasoned Lok Sabha member's enthusiastic endorsement of the government's action following the terror attack has soured his ties with his party. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is likely to take up the matter in which the EC has justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by 'weeding out ineligible persons' from the electoral rolls. The poll panel, while justifying its June 24 decision directing the SIR, has said all major political parties were 'involved' in the exercise and deployed more than 1.5 lakh booth-level agents to reach out to eligible voters, but are opposing it in the apex court. 'The entitlement to vote flows from Article 326 read with Sections 16 and 19 of the RP Act 1950 and Section 62 of the RP Act 1951, which contains certain qualifications with respect to citizenship, age, and ordinary residency. An ineligible person has no right to vote, and thus, cannot claim a violation of Articles 19 and 21 in this regard,' it said. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma's plea seeking invalidation of a report by an in-house inquiry panel which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih is likely to hear the matter. Justice Varma has also sought quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, urging Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against him. In his petition, Justice Varma submitted that the inquiry 'reversed the burden of proof', requiring him to investigate and disprove the charges levelled against him. Alleging that the panel's findings were based on a preconceived narrative, Justice Varma said the inquiry timelines were driven solely by the urge to conclude proceedings swiftly, even at the expense of 'procedural fairness'. The petition contended that the inquiry panel drew adverse findings without affording him a full and fair hearing. A meeting of the Telangana Cabinet will be held on Monday, where the expert panel report is expected to be a key agenda, official sources said. Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Saturday said the state Cabinet would meet to discuss the Independent Expert Working Group's (IEWG) report on the caste survey and determine the next course of action. The caste survey was held in two phases, employing over 1,03,889 enumerators and supervisors. The findings of the IEWG have not yet been made public. – With PTI inputs
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
SC to hear pleas on EC's special electoral roll revision in Bihar on Monday
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is likely to take up the matter in which the EC has justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by "weeding out ineligible persons" from the electoral rolls. The poll panel, while justifying its June 24 decision directing the SIR, has said all major political parties were "involved" in the exercise and deployed more than 1.5 lakh booth-level agents to reach out to eligible voters, but are opposing it in the apex court. The SIR adds to the purity of elections by weeding out ineligible persons from the electoral rolls, the ECI has said in a detailed affidavit filed to counter the allegations of petitioners, which include several political leaders, civil society members and organisations. "The entitlement to vote flows from Article 326 read with Sections 16 and 19 of the RP Act 1950 and Section 62 of the RP Act 1951, which contains certain qualifications with respect to citizenship, age, and ordinary residency. An ineligible person has no right to vote, and thus, cannot claim a violation of Articles 19 and 21 in this regard," it said. Meanwhile, in a rejoinder affidavit, the NGO 'Association for Democratic Reforms', the lead petition in the case, has claimed that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are vested with broad and unchecked discretion that could result in disenfranchisement of a significant segment of Bihar's population. "The petition submits that the SIR order dated June 24, 2025, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of citizens 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 NGO said. It said the exclusion of Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents in the SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls is patently absurd and that the EC has given no valid reason for its decision. The NGO further claimed that the SIR is being conducted in such a manner that constitutes a grave fraud on voters and the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are being found signing enumeration forms themselves and those dead are shown to have filled up forms, and those who hadn't filled up forms getting a message that their forms had been completed. "...Reports from the ground in Bihar, enumeration forms are being mass-uploaded by BLOs without the knowledge or consent of the voters, in order to achieve the unrealistic target set by the ECI. Many voters have reported that their forms have been submitted online, despite never having met with any BLOs or signed any documents. Forms of even dead individuals have been reported to have been submitted," it said. The NGO further said the poll panel's contention that the SIR is being conducted as a means to address concerns of political parties must be outright rejected, as not a single political party had asked the EC for a de novo exercise such as the one prescribed in the instant SIR order. "The concerns of political parties were on the issue of the addition of non-existent votes and the deletion of genuine votes supporting the opposition parties, and on the issue of casting of votes after closure of polls. It is to be noted that none of the political parties asked for a de novo revision of the electoral roll," it said. The NGO said the SIR initiated by the EC is being conducted in a manner that constitutes a grave fraud on the voters of Bihar, and must be set aside. "This fraudulent exercise, conducted under the guise of electoral integrity, violates principles of due process and natural justice, as enshrined under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution," it said. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, who is also a petitioner challenging the SIR, said in his rejoinder affidavit filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil that reports have pointed out instances where voters have complained that BLOs have not visited their house or neighbourhood and were found forging voters' signatures on forms and uploading them. "The present exercise is unprecedented inasmuch as for the first time a person is being asked to furnish documentary proof of his citizenship to the satisfaction of the Election Commission to be enrolled as a voter and exercise his constitutional right to vote. "As is evident from a bare perusal of Form 6, the application form for a new voter, and documents for proof of date of birth and documents for proof of residence were required to be furnished along with only a declaration that a person is a citizen of India," Jha said. Activist Yogendra Singh Yadav, in his rejoinder, said approximately 40 lakh electors face the prospect of deletion from the electoral rolls in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar. On July 10, a vacation bench headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as valid documents and permitted the poll panel to continue with the exercise in Bihar with over 7 crore voters. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC to hear pleas challenging EC's decision to revise Bihar electoral rolls on July 28
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is likely to take up the matter in which the EC has justified its ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying it adds to the purity of the election by "weeding out ineligible persons" from the electoral rolls. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics Project Management Healthcare CXO Operations Management Finance Public Policy healthcare MCA Cybersecurity MBA Product Management Data Science Data Science Degree Others Technology PGDM Artificial Intelligence Management Leadership Digital Marketing others Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details The poll panel, while justifying its June 24 decision directing the SIR, has said all major political parties were "involved" in the exercise and deployed more than 1.5 lakh booth-level agents to reach out to eligible voters, but are opposing it in the apex court. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The SIR adds to the purity of elections by weeding out ineligible persons from the electoral rolls, the ECI has said in a detailed affidavit filed to counter the allegations of petitioners, which include several political leaders, civil society members and organisations. "The entitlement to vote flows from Article 326 read with Sections 16 and 19 of the RP Act 1950 and Section 62 of the RP Act 1951, which contains certain qualifications with respect to citizenship, age, and ordinary residency. An ineligible person has no right to vote, and thus, cannot claim a violation of Articles 19 and 21 in this regard," it said. Live Events Meanwhile, in a rejoinder affidavit, the NGO 'Association for Democratic Reforms', the lead petition in the case, has claimed that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are vested with broad and unchecked discretion that could result in disenfranchisement of a significant segment of Bihar's population. "The petition submits that the SIR order dated June 24, 2025, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of citizens 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 NGO said. It said the exclusion of Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents in the SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls is patently absurd and that the EC has given no valid reason for its decision. The NGO further claimed that the SIR is being conducted in such a manner that constitutes a grave fraud on voters and the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are being found signing enumeration forms themselves and those dead are shown to have filled up forms, and those who hadn't filled up forms getting a message that their forms had been completed. "...Reports from the ground in Bihar, enumeration forms are being mass-uploaded by BLOs without the knowledge or consent of the voters, in order to achieve the unrealistic target set by the ECI. Many voters have reported that their forms have been submitted online, despite never having met with any BLOs or signed any documents. Forms of even dead individuals have been reported to have been submitted," it said. The NGO further said the poll panel's contention that the SIR is being conducted as a means to address concerns of political parties must be outright rejected, as not a single political party had asked the EC for a de novo exercise such as the one prescribed in the instant SIR order. "The concerns of political parties were on the issue of the addition of non-existent votes and the deletion of genuine votes supporting the opposition parties, and on the issue of casting of votes after closure of polls. It is to be noted that none of the political parties asked for a de novo revision of the electoral roll," it said. The NGO said the SIR initiated by the EC is being conducted in a manner that constitutes a grave fraud on the voters of Bihar, and must be set aside. "This fraudulent exercise, conducted under the guise of electoral integrity, violates principles of due process and natural justice, as enshrined under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution," it said. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, who is also a petitioner challenging the SIR, said in his rejoinder affidavit filed through advocate Fauzia Shakil that reports have pointed out instances where voters have complained that BLOs have not visited their house or neighbourhood and were found forging voters' signatures on forms and uploading them. "The present exercise is unprecedented inasmuch as for the first time a person is being asked to furnish documentary proof of his citizenship to the satisfaction of the Election Commission to be enrolled as a voter and exercise his constitutional right to vote. "As is evident from a bare perusal of Form 6, the application form for a new voter, and documents for proof of date of birth and documents for proof of residence were required to be furnished along with only a declaration that a person is a citizen of India," Jha said. Activist Yogendra Singh Yadav, in his rejoinder, said approximately 40 lakh electors face the prospect of deletion from the electoral rolls in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar. On July 10, a vacation bench headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as valid documents and permitted the poll panel to continue with the exercise in Bihar with over 7 crore voters.
India.com
24-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Election Commission Fact Checks Rahul Gandhi Over Karnataka Poll Fraud Allegation
The Election Commission of India on Thursday fact-checked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Congress party did not file any appeal against Karnataka poll results and now claiming wrongdoing on the part of the poll body. Reacting to a video of Rahul Gandhi, the ECI said that the claim made in the social media post was misleading and baseless. "As far as Electoral Rolls of Karnataka Lok Sabha 2024 is concerned, not a single appeal was filed with DM/ CEO of Karnataka, which was a valid legal remedy available to INC under Section 24 of RP Act 1950; and as far as conduct of Lok Sabha elections 2024 is concerned, out of 10 Election Petitions, not a single Election Petition was filed by any losing INC candidate, which was a legal remedy available to INC under Section 80 of RP Act 1951," said the ECI. #ECIFactCheck Claim made in this social media post is misleading and baseless May refer to the link provided below to read in detail the response from CEO Karnataka: Read detail in image below — Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 24, 2025 Rahul Gandhi's Allegation Earlier on Thursday, LoP Rahul Gandhi said that the Election Commission is not functioning as the Election Commission of India. 'Today, they (ECI) made a statement. This is complete nonsense. The fact of the matter is that the Election Commission is not doing its job. We have concrete, hundred per cent proof of the Election Commission allowing cheating in a seat in Karnataka. It is a hundred per cent proof. We just looked at one constituency, and we found it. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency, this is the drama that is taking place. Thousands and thousands of new voters, aged 50 years, 45 years, 60 and 65 years are added. We have caught them. I want to send a message to the Election Commission: if you think you are going to get away with this, if your officers think they can get away, you are mistaken. We are going to come for you," said LoP Rahul Gandhi. Karnataka CEO's Response The Election Commission also shared data put on X by the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer. The Karnataka CEO on Thursday also refuted the charges by Rahul Gandhi. Rejecting election cheating charges, the Karnataka CEO said that the electoral rolls are prepared transparently and copies were shared with the recognised parties. "As informed by the Election Commission of India already, Electoral Rolls are shared with all recognised political parties. During Special Summary Revision-2024, which was taken up before the General Elections to Lok Sabha-2024, the copies of draft and final electoral rolls of all 224 assembly constituencies were provided to representatives of all registered and recognised political parties, including the Indian National Congress (INC)," said Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka V. Anbukumar. Anbukumar pointed out that between the draft and final publication of rolls, about 9.17 lakh claims and objections were received for consideration. His statement also highlighted that no appeals were received at that time, even as the political parties can file an appeal against wrongful additions or deletions in the Electoral Rolls. "As per law, an appeal can be filed against wrongful additions or deletions in the Electoral Rolls. No appeals received," said Anbukumar.
