The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all legal services authorities in Bihar to provide free legal aid counsel and para-legal volunteers to voters whose names were omitted from the draft electoral rolls following the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.
This order comes a day after the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had asked the Election Commission (EC) to furnish details of the staggering 3.7 lakh voters whose names were deleted from the rolls during the SIR in Bihar.
Urgent Action to Aid Excluded Voters
Acknowledging the critical time constraint for filing statutory appeals, the apex court issued an urgent, interim directive.
The bench “deem[ed] it appropriate as an interim measure to request the Executive Chairman, Bihar SLA, to send communication, preferably today itself,” to all secretaries of the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs). This communication mandates the immediate provision of services to excluded persons.
As reported by LiveLaw, the top court’s instructions are comprehensive:
- Secretaries are to immediately re-notify mobile numbers and full descriptions of para-legal volunteers in each village.
- These volunteers will contact the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to collect information regarding the persons excluded from the final list.
- Para-Legal Volunteers are tasked with reaching out to excluded persons, informing them of their right to appeal, offering services to draft appeals, and providing free legal aid counsel.
The court further clarified that the benefit of this order would also apply to individuals whose names were not present in the draft list at all.
SC Expresses Concern Over Fake Information
During the hearing, the Election Commission raised a critical issue, pointing out that a petitioner had filed fake details of an individual, falsely claiming that his name was excluded from the final electoral list after the SIR exercise.
The Supreme Court bench expressed deep concern over the filing of “false details” in a matter of such public importance. The Justices remarked sternly, “we wonder that such person even exists,” highlighting the seriousness of submitting fabricated information to the apex court.
The election for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly is scheduled to take place in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with the results set to be announced on November 14.