Supreme Court to Review Bihar Electoral Roll Revision Controversy

Supreme Court's Decision to Hear Petitions

On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to examine petitions that contest the Election Commission's plan for a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, scheduled for July 10.

This revision was announced by the Election Commission on June 24, in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections anticipated in October or November.

As part of this initiative, individuals whose names do not appear on the 2003 voter list will be required to provide proof of their eligibility to vote. This affects approximately 2.9 crore out of 7.8 crore voters in the state, meaning around 37% of the electorate will need to submit documentation.

Petitions challenging this process have been filed by various parties, including Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jhal, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and activist Yogendra Yadav, among others.

During the proceedings, the petitioners' lawyers urged a swift hearing, highlighting that failure to submit the required forms and documents by the deadline could result in the removal of long-time voters from the list.

Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing one of the petitioners, informed the court that the Election Commission's notification imposed a stringent deadline on marginalized voters, and the accepted documents did not include commonly used identification like Aadhaar or ration cards.

The court has agreed to hear the case on July 10 and has permitted the petitioners to notify the Election Commission in advance.

Details of the Electoral Roll Revision

Guidelines for Voter Verification

The guidelines for the special intensive revision stipulate that voters born before July 1, 1987, must provide proof of their date and place of birth. Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also submit documentation verifying the date and place of birth of at least one parent. Voters born after December 2, 2004, will need to provide proof of their own date of birth as well as that of both parents.

If electoral registration officers find the provided information satisfactory, voters will be re-enrolled in a new voter list. Conversely, those who do not meet the requirements will be removed from the lists.

A draft voter roll is set to be published on August 1, with the final roll expected by September 30.

Recently, eleven parties from the INDIA bloc expressed concerns to the Election Commission, warning that the revision could disenfranchise over 2.5 crore voters who may struggle to produce the necessary documentation.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the ongoing revision process, asserting that it was essential due to widespread dissatisfaction with the current electoral rolls.