The Association of Democratic Reforms has approached the Supreme Court, questioning the Election Commission's order for a Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls in Bihar. The EC on June 24 directed giving instructions to conduct an SIR in Bihar, seemingly to eliminate ineligible names and include only eligible citizens in the electoral roll. Bihar is to poll later this year.
The NGO has requested the suspension of the order and communication on the grounds that it is against Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, as also sections of the Representation of People's Act, 1950, and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Activist Prashant Bhushan, who petitioned the plea, stated that the EC ruling "can arbitrarily and without due process" disenfranchise lakhs of voters and disturb free and fair elections.
"That the documentation requirements of the directive, absence of due process and the unreasonably brief timeframe for the aforesaid Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Roll in Bihar further ensure this exercise destined to lead to deletion of lakhs of genuine voters' names from electoral rolls resulting in disenfranchisement," Prashant Bhushan stated.
Also read: CEC Gyanesh Kumar: Bihar voter revision drive on schedule
A revision of this sort was last done in Bihar in 2003. As per the EC, the exercise was warranted due to speedy urbanisation, regular migration, young citizens becoming voters, deaths not being reported, and addition of names of foreign illegal migrants.
It added that through the exercise, it would like the integrity and readiness of error-free electoral rolls. The SIR is being carried out by the booth officials, who are making a house-to-house survey for verification. The EC declared that it will carefully follow the provisions of the Constitution and law as prescribed in Article 326 of the Constitution and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, in conducting the review.
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