Supreme Court to Hear Petitions Over Bihar SIR, 65 Lakh Voters Allegedly Removed (Social media)
National News: Bihar’s ongoing voter list revision has now turned into a major controversy, creating disputes in both politics and the legal system. On one side, opposition parties are accusing the government and the Election Commission of irregularities, while on the other, several petitions have been filed in court against the process. The matter has now reached the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear it on August 12.
The hearing will take place before a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The judges will review petitions that question the constitutional validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list being carried out in Bihar. This program is aimed at updating the state’s electoral roll before upcoming elections.
Earlier, on July 10, the Supreme Court had refused to stop the SIR process despite requests from petitioners. At that time, the court said that the Election Commission should be allowed to continue and complete the revision process.
The issue gained attention after the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) filed an application in the Supreme Court. ADR claimed that nearly 65 lakh names had been removed from the voter list without giving any explanation. They argued that this large-scale exclusion could impact the fairness of the upcoming elections.
In response, the Election Commission of India (ECI) submitted a written statement to the court. The ECI explained that as per the rules, it is not required to publish a separate list of people whose names were left out of the draft voter list. The Commission said it had already shared the draft list with all political parties and that there is no legal rule requiring them to mention the reason for each exclusion in the draft stage.
The ECI also pointed out that voters who are not in the draft list have the right to submit a declaration form and provide valid documents to have their names added. They assured the court that these individuals would be given a chance to present their case and get their names restored if eligible.
During the proceedings, the Election Commission requested the court to dismiss the petitions entirely. It accused the petitioners of attempting to mislead the judiciary and claimed they had not approached the court with “clean hands,” a legal phrase meaning they were not being fully truthful or fair. The ECI even suggested that the court impose a heavy fine on them for wasting judicial time.
The Commission also rejected the idea that petitioners have an absolute right to demand the complete list of all removed names. According to the ECI, such demands go beyond what the law allows.
The outcome of this case will be closely watched, as it may have a direct impact on Bihar’s electoral process. If the court sides with the petitioners, it could force changes in how voter lists are revised. If the court supports the Election Commission, the SIR process will continue without major changes, and the political dispute will likely shift back to public debate.
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