• Source:JND
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Bihar SIR: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Election Commission to upload details of 3.66 lakh voters excluded from the final voter list after the controversial Special Intensive Report (SIR) exercise. The apex court stated that the poll body will submit all the available information on the excluded voters by October 9, when it will further conduct hearing on the issue. While replying to a query by the court, the Election Commission stated that most names added under the Bihar SIR are of new voters.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi emphasised that the courts orders have made the process more transparent. Justice Surya Kant stated that the court asked the poll body to follow Rule 21 if someone's name was deleted, further questioning the identity of the added voters.

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"You'd agree with us that the degree of transparency and access has improved in the electoral process. It appears from the data that there was a 65 lakh deletion in the draft list which you published, and we said whoever is dead or moved is alright, but if you are deleting someone, please follow Rule 21 and the SOP," the bench observed.

"We also said that whoever is deleted, please put up their data in your electoral offices. Now the final list appears to be an appreciation of numbers and there is confusion in the general democratic process -- what is the identity of the add-ons, are they of deleted names or new names," Justice Bagchi added.

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However, the Election Commission clarified that most of the added voters were new, adding that no complaint has been filed by any excluded voters yet. "No complaint or appeal filed till now by any excluded voters," the poll body stated. The Election Commission on Monday announced that the polling in Bihar will be conducted in two phases and the result will be announced on November 14.