New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it was presuming that the Election Commission of India, being a constitutional authority, was following the law during the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar. The court cautioned that if any illegality was found, the entire exercise would be set aside.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed October 7 for final arguments on the validity of the Bihar SIR, while refusing to give any “piecemeal opinion” on the process.
“Our judgment in the Bihar SIR will be applicable for Pan-India SIR,” the bench observed, clarifying that it cannot restrain the Election Commission from conducting similar exercises for electoral roll revision across the country.
The court allowed petitioners challenging the Bihar SIR to also argue on the nationwide SIR on October 7.
Meanwhile, the bench issued notice on a plea seeking the recall of its September 8 order that directed the Election Commission to include Aadhaar as the 12th prescribed document in the Bihar SIR. On that day, the apex court had clarified that Aadhaar would not serve as proof of citizenship and that the poll panel must verify its authenticity if submitted by an elector for inclusion in the electoral roll.
