SC during hearing in Bihar SIR case; Sought response on petitions by August 8

A bench of Justices Suryakant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioners challenging the Election Commission’s decision to file their written arguments by August 8.

Patna: The Supreme Court on Tuesday set a deadline to consider petitions challenging the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Bihar. The court said that the issue will be heard on August 12 and 13.

A bench of Justices Suryakant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioners challenging the Election Commission's decision to file their written arguments by August 8.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, once again alleged that people are being excluded from the draft list to be published by the Election Commission on August 1 and they will lose their important right to vote.

The bench said that the Election Commission is a constitutional body and has to follow the law and if there is any irregularity, the petitioners can bring it to the notice of the court.

"You bring forward 15 such people whom they claim are dead but they are alive, we will consider it," the bench told Sibal and Bhushan. The bench appointed nodal officers for filing written submissions/compilations from the petitioner side and the Election Commission side.

Stressing on the "presumption of genuineness" of Aadhaar and voter ID cards, the apex court on Monday refused to stay the publication of draft voter list in poll-bound state Bihar and said it will pronounce verdict once and for all on the petitions filed against the SIR of voter list by the Election Commission.

It asked the Election Commission to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID cards for the SIR process in Bihar in compliance with its order and said there is a "presumption of genuineness" of both the documents.

"As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be easily forged but Aadhaar and voter ID cards have some sanctity and there is a presumption that they are genuine. You continue to accept these documents," the bench said.