Expressing concern over the lack of initiative from political parties in filing objections regarding the exclusion of nearly 65 lakh voters, the apex court instructed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar to implead all major political parties in the proceedings
The Supreme Court ruled that claim forms may be filed along with the Aadhaar number and any one of the 11 prescribed documents accepted for voter identification under SIR. File pic
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to permit excluded voters in Bihar to submit their claims both online and offline as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll ahead of the upcoming polls in the state, reported PTI.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi ruled that claim forms may be filed along with the Aadhaar number and any one of the 11 prescribed documents accepted for voter identification under the SIR.
Expressing concern over the lack of initiative from political parties in filing objections regarding the exclusion of nearly 65 lakh voters, the apex court instructed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar to implead all major political parties in the proceedings, reported PTI.
“All the political parties shall file the status report by the next date of hearing on the claim form they had facilitated in filing by excluded voters,” the bench said, scheduling the next hearing for September 8.
The court also directed election officials to issue acknowledgement receipts to booth-level agents of political parties who submit physical claim forms on behalf of excluded voters, reported PTI.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, requested the court to grant the poll body a 15-day period to demonstrate that no wrongful exclusions had taken place.
“The political parties are making hue and cry and things are not bad. Repose faith in us and give us some more time. We will be able to show you there are no exclusions,” Dwivedi told the court.
The ECI informed the bench that around 85,000 excluded individuals had already submitted claim forms, while over 2 lakh new voters had registered under the SIR exercise so far, reported PTI.
On August 14, the top court had directed the ECI to publish the details of the 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar in five days. The court emphasised that the move was aimed at ensuring transparency in the revision process and allowed Aadhaar to be used as valid ID proof for filing claims.
The bench had remarked that the Election Commission must dispel the “narrative being built” against it, stating, “Transparency will create voter confidence.”
This SIR marks the first revision of Bihar’s electoral roll since 2003. The exercise has become politically contentious after it revealed a reduction in the state’s total registered voters—from 7.9 crore before the revision to 7.24 crore—raising concerns across party lines.
(With PTI inputs)
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