Supreme Court's big decision on voter list in Bihar: SIR's date will no longer increase

National News: The Supreme Court has clearly stated on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Bihar that the final date of claims and objections will no longer be extended. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and AIMIM had demanded more time for voters, but the court dismissed the petition. The court said that the Election Commission has already given enough time and now it would not be appropriate to lengthen this process.

Responsibility for transparency on Election Commission

The court also clarified that transparency should remain in every situation. The Election Commission was directed to get the right and complete information to the political parties and they should be supported. The Commission assured the court that if a voter has to file a claim or objection even after 1 September, he can do it. It will be taken till the final date of the decision nomination.

Lawyers' arguments

During the hearing, a senior advocate on behalf of the Election Commission argued that so far crores of voters have submitted their documents and about 99.5% of the people have completed the process.

On the other hand, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan questioned the Commission and said that he is not following his own rules properly. Bhushan argued that the Commission should strictly follow the fixed process of claims and objections.

Strict comments of judges

During the hearing, Justice Surya Kant asked the Election Commission sharp questions. He said, "If you verify 1000 people today and 100 of them get mistakes, will you wait for months to disclose it?" On this, there was a reply from the Commission that action would be taken in such a situation within seven days. The court said that this is a continuous process and no laxity will be tolerated in it.

Most objections to name removal

The Election Commission informed the court that most of the claims and objections are about removing the name from the voter list.

• Many voters are no longer alive.
• Some have added their names to other areas.
• Some people also come and request to remove their names.

According to the Commission, this time about 2.7 lakh names are being removed from the voter list.

Concern of political parties

Political parties alleged that their objections were not being taken seriously. But the court said that the parties did not apply on a large scale.

• RJD made only 10 applications.
• CPI (M) deposited about 100 claims.

The court remarked that "If you are really serious then solid documents and an adequate number of applications should be submitted."

Supreme Court's message

At the end of the hearing, the Supreme Court said that the matter is not only about extending the date but also about democratic transparency and the convenience of the voters. The court ordered that paralegal volunteers should be appointed through the State Legal Services Authority so that voters and political parties would easily be able to file claims and objections. The court instructed political parties to work with a sense of cooperation instead of complaining and let this process move in the right direction.