New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow excluded voters in Bihar to file claims online, apart from physical submissions, under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi permitted claim forms to be submitted with Aadhaar and one of 11 valid identity documents. The court also instructed Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer to implead political parties in the case after noting that none had filed objections on behalf of the 65 lakh excluded voters.
“All political parties shall file a status report by the next hearing on the claim forms they have helped excluded voters submit,” the Bench observed, posting the matter for September 8.
The court further directed election officials to issue acknowledgement receipts to booth-level agents of parties who submit forms physically on behalf of voters.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, urged the court for a 15-day extension to prove that large-scale exclusion did not occur. “The political parties are making a hue and cry, but things are not bad. Give us some more time and we will show there are no exclusions,” Dwivedi said.
The ECI informed the Bench that 85,000 excluded voters had already filed claim forms and over two lakh new voters had registered under the SIR exercise.
Earlier, on August 14, the court directed the ECI to publish details of the 65 lakh excluded voters by August 19, including reasons for their non-inclusion, to enhance transparency and restore confidence in the revision process.
The SIR in Bihar — the first since 2003 — has triggered a political storm, reducing the number of registered voters from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore.
