‘Some Parties Want To Set Narrative’: Poll Panel’s Big Charge In Supreme Court SIR Hearing

File photo of Supreme Court (Image: PTI/File)

During a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of India (ECI) made a strong statement, accusing certain political parties and agencies of attempting to shape public perception instead of cooperating with the poll body’s ongoing efforts.

The ECI said these groups are “not helping us” in ensuring transparency and accuracy in the electoral process and are instead “focused only on setting a narrative.” The commission’s sharp remark comes amid its review of voter list revisions and verification exercises ahead of upcoming elections.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday resumed hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive issued on June 24 ordering a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is hearing the case, which has drawn widespread attention ahead of the state elections.

The petitioners have argued that the ECI’s revision exercise lacks adequate safeguards and could lead to the arbitrary deletion of voters, posing a threat to the conduct of free and fair elections in the state.

The Election Commission strongly refuted allegations that voters were arbitrarily removed from the electoral rolls, calling such claims “false and misleading.” Responding during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing, the ECI said a large number of people, “running into thousands,” who were earlier listed in the draft rolls had been removed as part of the due verification process, not arbitrarily.

The poll body said that one of the affidavits filed in court by a petitioner claiming he was deleted after being included in the draft roll was “false,” adding that even the booth number mentioned in the document was incorrect.

Rejecting accusations of voter exclusion, the ECI said it had published the list of 65 lakh names removed from the rolls across multiple platforms as directed by the court, and that all those affected had ample opportunity to verify and appeal. “He could have applied then, but he did not,” the ECI counsel told the court, pointing out that Booth Level Officers and other local officials were present throughout the revision process.

The Commission accused certain political parties and agencies of attempting to mislead the public instead of aiding the verification process. “These political parties and agencies are not helping us and only want a narrative to be set,” the ECI said.

The Commission also clarified that individuals who still wished to contest deletions or enroll for the first time had five days left to file an appeal, urging them to follow the proper legal procedure rather than spreading misinformation.