Supreme Court Endorses Bihar's Voter-Friendly Electoral Roll Revisions

New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) — The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, characterized the updated requirements for Bihar's special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll as "voter friendly," noting the increase from seven to 11 acceptable documents. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, addressed a series of pleas challenging the Election Commission's June 24 decision regarding the new SIR process in Bihar, a state on the brink of elections. Despite concerns raised by petitioners about Aadhaar's exclusion, the bench viewed the wider range of documents as more inclusive.

"In prior summary revisions, only seven documents were required. Now, with SIR, it's 11, making it more voter friendly. While some argue that excluding Aadhaar is disadvantageous, having a broader selection of documents is truly inclusionary," noted the bench. The Supreme Court clarified that only one of the 11 documents would suffice for electors.

However, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the petitioners, disagreed, arguing that although the quantity of documents is higher, their actual coverage among Bihar's population is minimal. Citing the low prevalence of passports in the state—only 1-2%—and the absence of permanent resident certificates, Singhvi highlighted the limited accessibility of these documents for many Bihar residents.

The bench countered that the 36 lakh passport holders in the state represent a good reach, emphasizing that the document list is often crafted with input from various government departments to ensure the widest possible coverage. Justice Bagchi underlined this strategy in document preparation.

Previously, on August 12, the Supreme Court affirmed the Election Commission's authority, emphasizing that decisions regarding the inclusion or exclusion of individuals from electoral rolls fall under its purview. Consequently, the decision to reject Aadhaar and voter ID cards as definitive citizenship proof in Bihar's SIR process was backed by the court.

Amid growing controversy over the ongoing SIR, both within and outside Parliament, the Supreme Court suggested that this dispute primarily boils down to a "trust deficit issue." The Election Commission has stated that of Bihar's 7.9 crore eligible voters, about 6.5 crore were exempt from submitting documentation, as their or their parents' names appeared in the 2003 electoral rolls.

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