EC Told to Respond by July 21, Next Hearing on July 28
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday raised serious concerns over the timing of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, just months ahead of the crucial assembly elections.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi questioned whether the massive voter verification drive — involving Aadhaar, ration card, and voter ID — could risk disenfranchising genuine voters with little time left to appeal.
“Your exercise is not the problem, it’s the timing,” Justice Dhulia observed, pointing to the challenge of verifying over 8 crore people amid an election countdown.
The apex court has sought a detailed explanation from the ECI on three key issues: its authority to launch the revision, the validity of its process, and why it is being conducted now.
The court, while refraining from passing an interim order, directed the poll body to file its reply by July 21, ahead of the next hearing on July 28.
The ECI, defending the SIR, said the door-to-door verification is aimed at maintaining the accuracy of electoral rolls by including only eligible voters and removing ineligible ones. However, it admitted that Aadhaar alone cannot be treated as proof of Indian citizenship, a point that has drawn further scrutiny from the court.
Petitioners — including RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, and activist Yogendra Yadav — argue that the verification process unfairly targets voters registered after 2003 and fails to accept valid IDs like the voter card or Aadhaar in such cases.
Opposition parties have slammed the ECI’s move, calling it a ploy to weed out genuine voters under the guise of cleansing the rolls, especially in a politically sensitive state like Bihar.
The high-stakes Bihar Assembly elections are expected in the final quarter of 2025.
