Supreme Court refuses to stay Bihar voter verification
THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK New Delhi, July 11: The Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing petitions filed by opposition party leaders…
THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, July 11: The Supreme Court on Thursday began hearing petitions filed by opposition party leaders challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls being conducted in Bihar ahead of the state assembly elections.
After the hearing, the Court refused to halt the ongoing voter verification process, allowing the SIR to continue. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 28.
During the proceedings, the Supreme Court told the Election Commission of India (ECI) that the list of required documents should not be treated as final.
The Court suggested including Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, and ration cards among the acceptable documents.
The Election Commission opposed this suggestion, but the Court clarified: “We are not stopping you. We are only asking you to act in accordance with the law.”
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Bench Questions Timing, Reiterates EC’s Constitutional Role
A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter. The Court questioned the timing of the voter list revision and remarked that the process should have ideally begun earlier. The bench also asked whether the rules specify clearly when such revisions must be conducted.
However, the Court acknowledged that conducting a special revision is within the Election Commission’s constitutional responsibilities. The method of execution, the Court noted, is left to the discretion of the EC, which is empowered under the law to carry out such revisions.
Petitioners Allege Arbitrary Process, Seek Broader Document Acceptance
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, told the Court that the EC was fulfilling its constitutional duty. He also raised preliminary objections to the petitions. Alongside him, senior advocates K.K. Venugopal and Maninder Singh also represented the Commission.
The Court then directed the petitioners to first establish how the Commission’s actions were unjustified. The petitioners alleged arbitrariness in the execution of the SIR in Bihar and questioned why documents such as Aadhaar and voter ID were not being accepted.
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Advocate Gopal Shankar Narayan, appearing for one of the petitioners, argued that the special revision was being conducted in a discriminatory and irregular manner, bypassing the established legal framework.
He pointed out that individuals who applied for voter registration after January 1, 2003, were now being asked to furnish additional documents, which was unfair.
He further claimed that the Election Commission plans to roll out the SIR process nationwide, starting with Bihar. To this, Justice Dhulia responded that the EC was acting within its constitutional mandate and that it could not be accused of wrongdoing for fulfilling its legal duties.
