The Supreme Court called confusion over Bihar’s SIR a “trust issue” and urged political parties to actively participate.
The Election Commission said claims and objections after September 1 will be considered only after finalising the electoral roll.
Paralegal volunteers will assist voters and parties in filing claims and objections, with reports reviewed by district judges on September 8.
The Supreme Court on Monday described the confusion surrounding Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll as a “largely trust issue” and called on political parties to take a more proactive role in the process, PTI reported.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted that the exercise had raised concerns among parties and voters, and directed the Bihar Legal Service Authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to assist both individual electors and political parties in submitting claims and objections. The volunteers are also required to file confidential reports with district judges, which will be considered on September 8.
The Election Commission of India (EC) told the court that extending the September 1 deadline for claims and objections would disrupt the finalisation of the state’s electoral roll. The EC clarified that while claims, objections, and corrections can still be filed until the last date of nomination in each assembly constituency, any submissions after September 1 would only be processed once the roll is finalised.
According to PTI, the poll panel said 99.5 per cent of the 2.74 crore electors listed in the draft roll published on August 1 had submitted the required eligibility documents. Notices are being issued within seven days to voters whose documentation remains incomplete. The EC further noted that most claims filed by political parties were aimed at excluding names rather than including them.
The hearing came in response to a petition by RJD MP Manoj Jha, who described the SIR exercise as “hasty and ill-timed” and argued that it could disenfranchise large numbers of voters. Jha highlighted the exclusion of commonly used documents, such as Aadhaar cards, MNREGA job cards, and ration cards, from the list of accepted proofs of citizenship, which he said could disadvantage rural and poor voters.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the EC, told the court that claims mentioned by the RJD, including those cited in its petition, had been duly accepted, PTI reported. He reiterated that any extension of the deadline would disrupt the finalisation of the electoral roll, which is part of a continuing revision exercise.
Both the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and AIMIM have sought an extension of the deadline for filing claims and objections.
(With inputs from PTI)
