• Source:JND
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The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar voter list ahead of the assembly polls in the state. The top court said the Election Commission of India has a logic in conducting the voter list revision.

Hearing a bunch of petitions filed by over 10 opposition parties against the move, a bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi observed that the exercise was mandated under the Constitution. 

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“What they are doing is mandated under the constitution. You cannot say that they are doing something which is not a mandate under the constitution you see. They have fixed a date of 2003 since an intensive excercise has been conducted. They have data for that. Why should they scratch their head again? ECI has a logic behind this,” Bar and Bench quoted Justice Dhulia as saying.

The top court, however, questioned the timing of the poll body’s move as the Assembly elections in the state are just a few months away. “Your exercise is not the problem, it is the timing," the court said. 

The SC also asked the EC lawyers why the Aadhaar Card was not accepted as a document to prove citizenship. The top court suggested that the poll panel should consider the Aadhaar Card as an acceptable document for Bihar electoral roll revision, adding that the process should be completed timely by following the process.

"We have a serious doubt on whether you can follow this timeline. Remember, you have to follow the procedure. It is something that is not practical. one thing that we will record and our order is that this list of documents is not exhaustive and you will consider Aadhar?" the court said. 

The EC also submitted a list of 11 documents mentioned by the court in its June 24 order.  

Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday participated in a protest rally in Patna against the Election Commission’s ongoing electoral roll revision ahead of assembly polls in Bihar. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also participated in the ‘Bihar Bandh’ rally called by the Mahagathbandhan leaders against the poll body.

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Other Mahagathbandhan leaders, including CPI-ML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and VIP chief Mukesh Sahani, also participated in the protest march, which took place from the Income Tax roundabout to the Election Commission office via Veer Chand Patel Path.