The Supreme Court of India today made a significant statement on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, warning that if any illegality is found in the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) methodology, the entire process could be set aside. The Court emphasized that its final verdict on the matter will not be a “piecemeal opinion” for Bihar alone, but would apply to similar SIR exercises conducted across the country. The final arguments in the case are set for October 7.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made it clear that while it presumes the ECI, as a constitutional authority, is following the law, it will not hesitate to intervene if procedural flaws are found. This development is part of a series of hearings stemming from concerns raised by opposition parties in Bihar, who allege that the SIR is a politically motivated “clean-up” operation leading to the wrongful deletion of genuine voters’ names. The ECI had recently announced that around 65 lakh names had been removed from the draft electoral rolls as part of the exercise.
The controversy around the SIR has been simmering for weeks. The ECI’s initial list of 11 approved documents for inclusion in the electoral roll did not include Aadhaar, a widely held document, which was a major point of contention. The Supreme Court had previously intervened on September 8, ordering the ECI to accept Aadhaar as the twelfth valid document for identity and residence proof in the revision process. The Court, however, stressed that Aadhaar does not establish citizenship.
The petitioners, including political parties, have raised serious concerns about the SIR process, which involves a house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). They argue that the rigorous documentation requirements and the process itself could lead to the disenfranchisement of a large number of voters, particularly from vulnerable sections of the population who may lack multiple forms of identification.
The ECI, in its defense, has maintained that the SIR is a necessary exercise to “maintain the purity and integrity” of the electoral rolls by eliminating names of dead, shifted, or duplicate voters and ensuring that no ineligible person is included. The ECI has told the Supreme Court that it has complete discretion over the policy of revision of voter lists.
The Supreme Court’s decision to take on the case and its broad-reaching pronouncement on the potential for a nationwide impact of its verdict highlights the deep-seated concerns over the integrity of the electoral process, especially ahead of a major state election. The final outcome on October 7 is expected to have significant implications for how future electoral roll revisions are conducted throughout India.