• Source:JND
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The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday assured the Supreme Court that no eligible voter in Bihar would be removed from the electoral rolls without prior notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned order. In an affidavit filed in response to the Court’s August 6 directive, the ECI said it had issued “strict directions” to prevent wrongful deletions during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.

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Responding to allegations by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which claimed over 65 lakh names were deleted from Bihar’s draft rolls without adequate transparency, the Commission said it was taking “every possible step” to safeguard the inclusion of all legitimate voters. It outlined a ten-point verification and inclusion protocol involving door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), coordination with political parties, awareness campaigns, and targeted support for vulnerable groups.

ECI Rebuts Allegations Of Mass Deletions

ADR had accused the Commission of failing to clarify whether the deletions involved deceased persons, migrants, or other categories, and of excluding political parties from full access to the draft lists. The NGO also alleged that BLOs had added or removed names without verifying the 11 documents prescribed by the ECI.

Rejecting these claims, the Commission informed the Court that the first phase of the SIR had concluded, and the draft electoral rolls were published on August 1 following comprehensive house-to-house verification. Lists of electors whose forms were not received were provided to Booth Level Agents of recognised political parties as early as July 20 — before the draft publication — enabling early corrective action. Updated lists were subsequently shared again with party representatives.

Massive Participation In Verification Drive

According to the ECI, 7.24 crore of Bihar’s 7.89 crore electors submitted their forms during the SIR drive, supported by over 77,000 BLOs, 2.45 lakh volunteers, and 1.6 lakh party-appointed Booth Level Agents. The Commission detailed several measures to minimise exclusion risks:

SMS reminders and multiple BLO visits

Permission for BLAs to submit up to 50 forms daily

Advertisements in 246 newspapers targeting migrants

Urban voter camps in all 261 urban local bodies

Pre-enrolment campaigns for youth turning 18 before October 1, 2025

Special arrangements for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups

The affidavit noted that electoral issues raised by the media were promptly addressed by district authorities. Draft rolls were made available in both printed and digital formats to political parties and opened to the public from August 1 to September 1 for claims and objections.

Deletion Only After Due Process

The ECI reiterated that no deletions from the rolls would occur without notifying the voter of the reason, giving them a chance to respond and submit documents, and issuing a formal, reasoned order. These protections are reinforced by a two-tier appeals process under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Supreme Court Scrutinises Legal Validity

The Supreme Court had on August 6 directed the ECI to file a “comprehensive reply” following ADR’s claims of opacity in the process. The Court stressed that the SIR should enhance voter inclusion, not exclusion, and proposed treating Aadhaar and EPIC cards as presumptively genuine documents to protect voters from wrongful disenfranchisement.

Petitioners also questioned the ECI’s authority to conduct a revision exercise aimed at verifying citizenship, asserting that such powers lie with the Union government. They also criticised the narrow list of 11 acceptable documents for proof of citizenship, warning it could disenfranchise marginalised communities.

The matter is scheduled for the next hearing on August 12.

Political Fallout Ahead Of State Elections

The SIR has sparked intense political controversy ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections later this year. Opposition parties, under the INDIA bloc, have protested in Parliament and written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, calling the revision “unprecedented” and warning it could set a national precedent. Parties including the Congress, RJD, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and Shiv Sena (UBT) have expressed concern over the exercise.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at a rally in Sitamarhi, defended the revision, claiming it was necessary to remove “infiltrators” from the electoral rolls. He accused the Opposition of opposing the SIR because it targets illegitimate voters, saying, “Infiltrators have no right to vote... but the RJD and Congress are resisting the deletions.”

Fundamental Issues Raised In Court

In an earlier hearing on July 10, a separate Supreme Court bench framed three core legal questions for consideration:

1. Does the ECI have the authority to conduct a special revision like the SIR?

2. Is the process being followed in the SIR legally valid?

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3. Is the timing of the exercise, just months before the Bihar elections, appropriate?

The Court observed that these issues strike at the heart of India’s democratic framework, implicating the fundamental right to vote.