Supreme Court Scrutinizes Bihar Electoral Roll Revision Ahead of Polls
Supreme Court Scrutinizes Bihar Electoral Roll Revision Ahead of Polls
The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for July 28, with the ECI directed to file its response by July 21. No interim orders have been issued.
By RMN News Service
NEW DELHI, July 10, 2025 — The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, raising concerns about the timing and scope of the exercise just months before the state’s assembly elections.
The bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi, emphasized that the revision “goes to the root of democracy and the power to vote,” urging the ECI to consider including Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents for voter enumeration.
Justice Dhulia criticized the ECI’s late initiation of the SIR, stating, “If you are to check citizenship under SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, then you should have acted early; it is a bit late.” The court also challenged the ECI’s exclusion of Aadhaar from the process, noting that citizenship verification falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs’ jurisdiction, not the ECI’s.
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While dismissing claims that the ECI lacks authority to conduct the revision—a constitutional duty last exercised in Bihar in 2003—the court acknowledged over 10 petitions challenging the SIR, including one from the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms and others from prominent leaders like RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC’s Mahua Moitra, Congress’ K C Venugopal, and NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule.
The ECI defended the revision as crucial for maintaining electoral roll integrity by adding eligible voters and removing ineligible ones, reiterating that Aadhaar is not valid proof of citizenship under Article 326.
The issue has fueled political tensions, with Bihar’s Grand Alliance, led by Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, staging a statewide “chakka jam” protest on July 9, sparking a war of words with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for July 28, with the ECI directed to file its response by July 21. No interim orders have been issued.
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