SC Surprised by Parties’ Inaction, Directs Them to Help Bihar Voters File Claims

The Supreme Court, which heard the plea against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in poll-bound Bihar, pulled up the political parties in the state over their inaction in assisting the people who were left out of the draft electoral rolls in filing claims and objections.

The SC bench instructed the political parties to direct their booth-level agents to assist voters in filing claims and objections in the draft rolls.

According to PTI, the bench said, "We will allow online submission of claims of deleted voters with Aadhaar card or any other acceptable documents for Bihar SIR” 

The Times of India reported that the Election Commission informed the bench that only two booth-level agents of political parties had filed objections before 85,000 new voters had been added to the electoral list. 

The Bench said it was "surprised" that the political parties hadn't brought it up sooner and posted the next hearing for September 8. 

The ECI had previously told the Supreme Court that copies of Aadhaar cards can be sent with claims by voters who feel their names were left off the draft Bihar electoral roll, as stated in its public notifications.

The Bench thus directed political parties to instruct their BLAs to assist voters to file their claims and objections, applications for inclusion in the electoral rolls.  The Bench said voters can submit any of the 11 documents or Aadhaar with their claims, objections, or applications for inclusion. 

Forms can be submitted online by excluded voters, ruled the Bench.

The SC also ruled to allow excluded voters to submit claims through online mode besides making physical submissions in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar.

The bench allowed claim forms to be submitted along with Aadhaar card number and any one of the 11 acceptable documents in the SIR.

"All the political parties shall file the status report by the next date of hearing on the claim form they had facilitated in filing by excluded voters," the bench said as it posted the matter for September 8.

The bench had also mandated that the details contain justifications for their exclusion from the current SIR exercise, noting that the EC should put an end to the "narrative being built" against it.  "Transparency will create voter confidence."  Bihar's voters' list change, the first since 2003, has caused a major political uproar.  According to the SIR's conclusions, there are now 7.24 crore registered voters in Bihar instead of the 7.9 crore that existed before the operation.

The bench directed the election officials to furnish an acknowledgement receipt to the booth-level agents of the political parties, who submit the claim forms of excluded voters physically.

The Bench comprises Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. The petitions were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam.