In a crucial hearing concerning the ongoing political controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Supreme Court of India on Friday decided not to halt the exercise. The court, however, directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to be flexible and consider extending the deadline for voter inclusion if the response is overwhelming. The SIR, the first of its kind in Bihar since 2003, has drawn criticism after the draft voter list showed a significant reduction of 65 lakh names from the previous count of 7.9 crore.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also made it easier for people to get their names back on the voter list. The court ruled that individuals excluded from the draft electoral roll can now submit their applications for inclusion online using an Aadhaar card or any of the eleven other documents specified by the Election Commission. This move is aimed at making the process more “voter-friendly,” as the court noted.
The bench also expressed its surprise at the lack of formal objections from political parties. The court noted that out of approximately 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, only two official objections had been received. The court has now asked the 12 recognized political parties in Bihar to instruct their BLAs to actively help citizens in their respective booths to submit their forms and to file a status report by September 8.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, defended the revision process, stating that over two lakh new voters have already filed forms for inclusion. He accused political parties of creating “hue and cry” for their own interests and failing to cooperate with the election body. Dwivedi urged the court to “repose faith” in the ECI and grant a 15-day window to demonstrate that no eligible voter has been wrongfully excluded.
The SIR exercise, which saw the Election Commission publish a list of the 65 lakh removed names, has been a major point of contention ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections. The ECI has maintained that the revision is a constitutionally mandated, transparent effort to clean up the electoral rolls by removing duplicate, deceased, or shifted entries.