On Monday, the Supreme Court stepped in over the ongoing controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling the confusion “largely a trust issue.” The Division Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi urged political parties to take a more active role in the process rather than leaving everything to the Election Commission.
To ensure greater transparency, the Court directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to deploy para-legal volunteers who would help voters and parties file claims and objections. These volunteers have also been asked to send confidential reports to district judges, which will be reviewed by the Court on September 8.
During the hearing, the Election Commission (ECI) clarified that although the September 1 deadline for filing claims and objections had expired, applications could still be entertained beyond the cut-off. However, such applications would only be taken into account after the rolls were finalised and up to the last date of nomination in individual constituencies.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, cautioned that extending the deadline would “disrupt the entire exercise and finalisation of the electoral roll.” He pointed out that nearly 99.5% of the state’s 2.74 crore electors had already provided the required documents. Notices will soon be sent to those with incomplete paperwork.
The EC also pushed back against the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s claim of having filed 36 objections, stating that only 10 had actually been received, all of which were accepted. It said most of the objections submitted by political parties were aimed at the exclusion of names rather than the inclusion.
The issue reached the Top Court after RJD MP Manoj Jha filed a petition alleging that the SIR process was “hasty and ill-timed,” and could disenfranchise large numbers of voters. He criticised the requirement of 11 specific documents to establish citizenship, arguing that common identity papers like Aadhaar, ration cards and MNREGA job cards had been left out, creating unnecessary hurdles for the poor and rural electorate.
Both RJD and AIMIM had sought an extension of the deadline for claims and objections, but the Court has left the matter open for further scrutiny at the next hearing.
Picture Source :
