The Supreme Court on Friday took note of Election Commission's (ECI) submission that 85,000 new voters have come forward in special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar, and only two objections have been filed by booth-level agents of political parties.
The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed surprise over political parties' inaction in not coming forward with the correction of names of deleted voters in the SIR exercise in poll-bound Bihar.
"All the political parties shall file the status report by the next date of hearing on the claim form they had facilitated in filing by excluded voters," the bench said as it posted the matter for September 8.
Justices Kant and Bagchi allowed claim forms to be submitted along with Aadhaar card number and any one of the 11 acceptable documents in the SIR.
"We will allow online submission of claims of deleted voters with Aadhaar card or any other acceptable documents for Bihar SIR," said the bench.
“…to issue specific directions to BLAs [booth level agents] to assist voters for submission of requisite forms along with any of the 11 documents OR Aadhaar card. In order to facilitate the voters, all above-mentioned political parties to be impleaded as respondents,” LiveLaw quoted the Supreme Court as saying in its order.
"Wherever the physical forms are submitted, the booth level officers are directed to acknowledge the form," the court further ordered reported Bar and Bench.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, urged the court to give the ECI a 15-day window to show there was no exclusion.
"The political parties are making hue and cry and things are not bad. Repose faith in us and give us some more time. We will be able to show you there are no exclusions," Dwivedi said.
Observing that the EC should put at rest the “narrative being built” against it, the bench had also ordered that the details should include reasons for their non-inclusion during the ongoing SIR exercise. "Transparency will create voter confidence."
The EC on Monday, came out with the names of 65 lakh people who were removed from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the SIR exercise.
The development came after the Supreme Court directed the EC to publish the deleted names by August 19 and file a compliance report by August 22.
The Opposition led by the Congress has been up in arms against the Election Commission’s exercise and called it an exercise in mass disenfranchisement.
The Congress has launched the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram on August 17, calling the voter roll revision exercise in Bihar an attempt to “steal votes” ahead of assembly polls later this year.
The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ will pass through more than 20 districts, including Gaya, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Darbhanga, and Champaran, before concluding with a rally in Patna on September 1.
