• Source:JND
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Bihar SIR: The Election Commission on Tuesday stated that it has not received any complaints from the voters in Bihar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Instead, it noted that the complaints have only been raised by the individuals and groups in Delhi, in what appeared to be a veiled criticism of the petitioners against challenging the SIR.

The Election Commission added that the final electoral roll has already been notified and reiterated that no official complaint has been submitted by Bihar voters themselves. According to the poll body, the objections have come solely from some political parties and associations in Delhi.

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Supreme Court On Bihar SIR

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi is currently hearing a petition challenging the SIR exercise in Bihar. Justice Bagchi noted that approximately 65 lakh voters have been deleted from the final electoral roll.

“We had said that removing names of those who are deceased or have relocated is acceptable. However, if any deletion is being carried out, it must be done in accordance with Rule 21 and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). We also directed that details of those whose names have been deleted should be made publicly available at electoral offices,” she said.

In response, the lawyer of the EC stated, “Most of the entries are new voters.” During the hearing, Justice Kant asked the advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, to identify the individuals affected by the deletions.

Bhushan further argued that the deletions from the final electoral roll were disproportionately affecting Muslims and women.

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Justice Kant acknowledged that there were certain grievances regarding the SIR process in Bihar, which warranted the court’s oversight. However, he emphasised that the conduct of the SIR in other states solely falls within the jurisdiction of the EC.

The total number of registered voters in the poll-bound state has decreased by nearly 47 lakh, dropping from 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore in the final electoral list published on September 30, following the Bihar SIR conducted by the EC.