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Appeals of voters whose names were deleted during the Election Commission’s SIR should be decided within the stipulated time limit. Regarding the petitioners’ appeal, the Supreme Court stated that this issue will be considered at the next hearing date.
SC hears Bihar voter list in-depth revision
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today held another hearing on the Special In-depth Revision (SIR) of the voter list conducted by the Election Commission ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. While hearing petitions highlighting flaws in the Election Commission's procedures, the court issued important instructions to the Bihar Legal Services Authority (BSLSA). The court directed the concerned officials to assist voters.
Definition of a deadline to be considered at the next hearing date
Appeals of voters whose names were deleted during the Election Commission's SIR should be decided within the stipulated time limit. Regarding the petitioners' appeal, the Supreme Court stated that this issue will be considered at the next hearing date.
Election Commission claims: NGO submitted false details
On the other hand, the Election Commission informed the Supreme Court that the petitioner NGO submitted false details. According to the Commission, the details of the person claiming to have been excluded from the final voter list are incorrect. The Supreme Court expressed concern over the filing of "false details" and said, "We are surprised that such a person even exists."
Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, gave this response to the court.
Regarding the filing of false claims and details before the court, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, told the Supreme Court that the details of the person claiming to have been excluded from the final voter list can be verified with the help of the BSLSA.
Hearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi
Directing the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA), the Supreme Court on Thursday directed its district-level bodies to assist voters excluded from the final voter list in filing appeals with the Election Commission. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi is hearing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The bench said, "The District Legal Services Authority will issue a list of paralegal volunteers to assist voters in filing appeals. The BSLSA will ensure they have detailed orders regarding the exclusions."
Emphasis on giving everyone a fair opportunity to appeal, not a one-line order
The bench said, "We want everyone to be given a fair opportunity to appeal and have access to detailed orders explaining why their names have been excluded. This should not be a cryptic one-line order."
The Congress Party also asked the Commission sharp questions
Earlier, the Congress Party had asked the Election Commission sharp questions regarding the SIR conducted in Bihar. Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram asked the Commission whether duplicate entries remained in the voter list even after the SIR. He stated that there were millions of duplicate voters and urged the Commission to ensure transparency.
The Election Commission declared the SIR a success, but many questions remain about the final list. It is noteworthy that after the publication of the voter list in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar declared the process a success. During a press conference on Monday, October 6th, CEC Gyanesh Kumar stated that voting for the 243 seats of the Bihar Assembly would be held in two phases. The first phase will be held on November 6th and the second phase on November 11th. The election results will be announced on November 14th. Following the completion of the SIR process, the names of 72.3 million voters have been included. Those raising questions about this claim argue that the number of names included in the voter list is significantly lower than the population and adult population. Yogendra Yadav, who is fighting this case in the Supreme Court, claims that despite the completion of the SIR process, many voter names remain duplicates. Questions are also being raised about the issue of infiltration.
