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National News: ADR has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s decision to re-verify the electoral rolls in Bihar. The watchdog alleges the process is arbitrary and lacks proper safeguards. According to ADR, this exercise might potentially remove lakhs of genuine voters from the list. They claim such a mass operation so close to elections can have serious democratic implications. The petition argues the EC’s move bypasses procedural norms and violates citizens’ voting rights. The plea seeks an immediate halt to the ongoing re-verification until the Court hears the matter.
The ECI, in defence of its move, stated that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have already covered approximately 1.5 crore households in Bihar. This drive is part of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls. According to official data, the state has nearly 7.90 crore registered voters as of June 24, 2025. Around 87 percent of them have already been issued Enumeration Forms. However, officers faced hurdles with locked houses or absent families. The survey is scheduled to continue with multiple rounds.
ADR’s main concern revolves around the scale and timing of the EC’s action. The organisation has argued that such a sweeping voter list check during a non-revision period raises constitutional and legal concerns. They assert that selective targeting of Bihar fuels suspicion. ADR fears that marginalized groups and migrant families may disproportionately suffer deletions. Their legal filing also questions the transparency of the data-collection process. They want an independent audit of the BLOs' outreach and data validation.
The petition alleges that this review process can be misused to quietly erase names from electoral rolls. Voters may not even know their names are removed until election day. This could drastically impact voter turnout in Bihar, historically a politically active state. ADR also notes that lakhs of voters who have migrated temporarily or are travelling may be wrongly delisted. They demand prior consent, notification, and redressal options for all voters flagged by BLOs.
Responding to the criticism, the Election Commission maintains that the review is a part of regular data cleansing. Officials claim the effort is meant to remove duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters, not genuine electors. According to the EC, the BLOs were instructed to follow a strict verification protocol. They claim due diligence has been done in areas where families were unavailable. Still, the Court’s intervention may now halt the process.
Political parties in Bihar are closely monitoring the situation. Some opposition leaders have raised concerns privately but are yet to issue formal statements. A few sources suggest that this voter list verification may impact certain vote banks. With general elections approaching, the issue is expected to snowball politically. The Supreme Court hearing may shape the next phase of Bihar’s electoral landscape.
The Supreme Court is likely to list ADR’s petition for urgent hearing. Legal experts believe the case may test the limits of EC’s discretionary powers. If the Court finds the EC overstepped, it could set a national precedent. Until then, the voter verification exercise in Bihar remains under scrutiny. ADR has requested an immediate stay and complete status report from the EC. All eyes are now on the apex court’s next move.
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