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The court had earlier backed the EC’s stance that Aadhaar and voter cards would not be treated as conclusive proof of citizenship in the SIR
The drive will also cover those shifting from outside Bihar or those registering for the first time, even if they are already over 18. Representational pic/News18
The Supreme Court on Wednesday described the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral roll as “voter-friendly”, noting that electors can now submit any one of 11 approved documents, up from seven in the previous summary revision, to establish eligibility.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, hearing pleas against the Election Commission’s June 24 decision to conduct the SIR in poll-bound Bihar, said the expanded list appeared “actually inclusionary” despite arguments from petitioners that non-acceptance of Aadhaar was exclusionary.
“The number of documents in summary revision conducted earlier in the state was seven and in SIR it is 11, which shows it is voter-friendly,” the bench said.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the petitioners, countered that the list offered little practical benefit because many of the approved documents had low coverage in Bihar. He cited passports, held by just one to two per cent of residents, and noted the absence of permanent resident certificates in the state.
The bench, however, observed that the roughly 36 lakh passport holders in Bihar still represented a significant number and that such lists are generally drawn up after feedback from multiple government departments to ensure maximum reach.
On August 12, the court had backed the EC’s stance that Aadhaar and voter cards would not be treated as conclusive proof of citizenship in the SIR, adding that inclusion and exclusion from electoral rolls lies within the Commission’s remit.
The bench also remarked that much of the dispute over the process appeared to stem from a “trust deficit” rather than procedural flaws, pointing out that around 6.5 crore of Bihar’s 7.9 crore voters were already on the rolls without needing to file fresh documents.
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ…Read More
Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, includ… Read More
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