On Tuesday, the Supreme Court commenced hearings in a series of petitions contesting the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections. The petitions, filed by political leaders, civil society organisations, and individual activists, allege that the exercise has resulted in wrongful deletions and arbitrary classifications of voters, thereby threatening the integrity of the electoral process.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, while hearing submissions from Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for RJD MP Manoj Jha, was apprised of instances where individuals recorded as deceased in the electoral roll were later found to be alive, and conversely, living persons were categorised as deceased. Sibal argued that such discrepancies cast serious doubt on the reliability of the revision exercise.
Appearing for the ECI, Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi maintained that minor inaccuracies were inevitable at the draft stage of such an extensive verification process. He emphasised that corrections could be incorporated before the final publication of the roll, scheduled for September 30.
The Bench directed the poll panel to furnish comprehensive data, including the number of registered voters before and after the commencement of the SIR, the total number of voters recorded as deceased at both stages, and other relevant statistical details. The Court observed that the ECI, as a constitutional authority, is bound to act within the contours of law and must be prepared to justify the process if allegations of large-scale exclusion are established.
The petitions before the Court challenge the ECI’s June 24 order initiating the SIR in Bihar. On July 10, while allowing the exercise to continue, the Court directed that Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards be treated as valid supporting documents for enrolment or retention in the electoral roll. A draft roll was published on August 1, with the final roll due on September 30.
Opponents of the SIR, including MPs from the RJD, Trinamool Congress, Congress, DMK, and other parties, along with non-governmental organisations such as the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), contend that the revision is being misused to disenfranchise legitimate voters. The ECI, in its affidavit, has justified the process as a measure to “weed out ineligible persons” and enhance the accuracy of the rolls.
The matter will continue to be heard, with the Court signalling that it will intervene without delay should credible evidence of mass exclusion be placed before it.
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