Supreme Court Schedules Hearing on Bihar’s Electoral Roll Revisions

The Supreme Court of India has set a hearing date of August 12 and 13, 2023 to address a series of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi instructed petitioners to submit their written arguments by August 8, 2023.

The petitions arise from concerns that approximately 6.5 million voters may be excluded from the upcoming electoral draft list scheduled for publication on August 1, 2023. The court emphasized its willingness to intervene if evidence of mass voter exclusion is presented.

During the proceedings, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, reiterated fears that the draft list could disenfranchise significant numbers of voters. The bench reassured that any wrongful exclusion could be addressed through the court’s intervention.

“You bring 15 people who they claim are dead but are alive, we will deal with it,” the justices stated, highlighting the court’s readiness to examine specific cases of erroneous exclusions.

Court Upholds Election Commission’s Procedures

The Supreme Court also appointed nodal officers from both the petitioners’ and the Election Commission’s sides to facilitate the filing of written submissions and compilations. This initiative aims to streamline the process ahead of the hearing dates.

In a related context, the court has previously ruled against pausing the publication of the draft electoral rolls, underscoring the “presumption of genuineness” associated with Aadhaar and voter identification cards. The justices directed the Election Commission to continue accepting these documents for the SIR exercise, reinforcing their reliability compared to other forms of identification, such as ration cards.

“As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily, but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have a presumption of genuineness,” the bench stated, emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity in the electoral process.

As the situation unfolds, the Supreme Court’s decisions will have significant implications for the electoral rights of millions in Bihar, as well as the operational procedures of the Election Commission in future electoral exercises.