SC fixes timeline for considering pleas on SIR in Bihar; hearing to start from August 12

The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed a timeline for considering a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, and said that hearing on the issue will be held on August 12 and 13.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioners challenging the poll panel's decision to file their written submissions by August 8.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioners, once again alleged that people are being left out from the draft list to be published on August 1 by the poll panel, and they will lose their crucial right of voting.

The bench said the Election Commission is a constitutional body, and it has to abide by the law and if any wrong is being committed, petitioners can bring it to the notice of the court.

"You bring 15 people who they claim are dead but are alive, we will deal with it," the bench told Sibal and Bhushan.

The bench appointed nodal officers from petitioners side and the Election Commission side for filing written submissions/compilations.

On Monday, underscoring the "presumption of genuineness" of Aadhaar and voter ID, the top court refused to stay the publication of the draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, and said it would once and for all decide pleas against the Election Commission's SIR of electoral rolls.

It asked the poll panel to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID for the SIR exercise in Bihar in compliance with its order, saying both documents had a "presumption of genuineness".

"As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have presumption of genuineness. You continue accepting these documents," the bench said.