Supreme Court Declines to Alter Electoral Roll Revision in Bihar, Urges Political Parties to Assist Voters

New Delhi – The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, while observing that the poll body may consider extending the timeline in the event of overwhelming public response.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi permitted individuals excluded from the draft electoral rolls to apply online for inclusion, using any of the eleven identity documents notified by the ECI or an Aadhaar card. The Court further directed all 12 recognised political parties in Bihar to instruct their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to assist voters in completing the inclusion process and to file a status report by September 8.

Expressing surprise at the low level of objections filed, the bench noted that only two objections had been submitted out of nearly 1.6 lakh BLAs engaged by political parties. “On the other hand, some political parties submitted that BLAs are not being permitted to file their objections,” the Court observed. Commending the Commission’s efforts, the Court remarked that the SIR is an exercise designed to ensure voter inclusion.

Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing on behalf of the ECI, argued that none of the 12 recognised political parties in Bihar had raised objections and informed the Court that more than two lakh new voter applications had already been filed for inclusion. “They are only whipping up fear for their political interests. It is the duty of political parties to assist the Commission in this exercise, but they are not cooperating,” Dwivedi submitted, as reported by Live Law. He requested that the Court grant the ECI an additional 15 days to demonstrate that no eligible voters were excluded, assuring that the process was being carried out transparently.

The revision of the electoral rolls, the first in Bihar since 2003, has triggered a political storm. The draft rolls published by the Commission on Monday revealed the removal of 65 lakh names, reducing the state’s registered voter base from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore.