On Thursday, the Supreme Court scrutinized the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, urging the poll panel to consider recognizing Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and ration cards as valid documents for voter verification during the ongoing exercise.
The Court agreed to hear a series of petitions that challenge the timing and procedure of the SIR, with the next hearing set for July 28. Meanwhile, the ECI has been given until July 21 to submit its response. No interim relief has been granted at this stage.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi questioned the decision to initiate the revision just months ahead of elections, calling it a move that “strikes at the root of democracy and the power to vote.”
Justice Dhulia remarked, “If the purpose of the SIR is to verify citizenship in Bihar’s electoral rolls, it should have been done earlier—it’s a bit late now,” highlighting concerns over the timing of such a significant revision.
However, the Court rejected the argument made by opposition leaders and civil society groups that the ECI lacked the authority to conduct the SIR. It affirmed that the revision of electoral rolls is a constitutional duty of the Commission and noted that the last major revision in Bihar occurred in 2003.
Defending the exercise, the ECI argued that the SIR is vital for ensuring the accuracy of electoral rolls by enrolling eligible voters and removing ineligible names. It maintained that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, reiterating that only Indian citizens have the right to vote as per Article 326 of the Constitution.
Senior advocate Dwivedi, representing the ECI, asked, “If not the Election Commission, then who is responsible for revising electoral rolls?”
He also assured the Court that no voter would be removed without due process and an opportunity to be heard.
The bench further questioned why Aadhaar was excluded from the SIR process, stating that matters related to citizenship fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, not the ECI.
More than ten petitions have been filed against the ECI’s move, including one from the Association for Democratic Reforms. Other prominent petitioners include RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC’s Mahua Moitra, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, CPI’s D. Raja, SP’s Harinder Singh Malik, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, JMM’s Sarfraz Ahmed, and CPI (ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya.
