The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed August 12 and 13 as the dates for hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, even as it refused to stay the publication of the draft voter list scheduled for August 1.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed the petitioners to file their written submissions by August 8. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, reiterated concerns that the poll panel’s SIR process was resulting in the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters from the draft list.
In response, the bench acknowledged that the Election Commission is a constitutional authority bound to act in accordance with the law. “If any wrong is being committed, petitioners can bring it to the notice of the court,” the bench said, inviting evidence. “You bring 15 people who they claim are dead but are alive, we will deal with it,” the judges remarked.
The court also appointed nodal officers from both the petitioners’ and the Election Commission’s side to coordinate the submission of written arguments and supporting documents.
A day earlier, on Monday, the top court had declined to stay the publication of the draft electoral rolls. It emphasized that documents like Aadhaar and voter ID enjoy a “presumption of genuineness” and should continue to be accepted for voter verification under the SIR process.
“As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily, but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity,” the bench observed, adding that the process must continue in compliance with existing legal safeguards.
The Supreme Court’s decision to proceed with hearings in August sets the stage for a decisive ruling on the validity and transparency of the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision exercise ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections.
