Bihar SIR: SC to hear pleas seeking more time to file claims, objections

Petitioners seek more time for filing claims in Bihar's special electoral roll revision

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on September 1 petitions seeking more time for filing claims and objections in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

 

A three-judge Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi listed the matter after senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Association for Democratic Reforms, said the Rashtriya Janata Dal and other parties had sought an extension of the September 1 deadline.

 

Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for MLA Akhtarul Iman, also pressed for more time, pointing out that over 170,000 claims were filed in the past month. Bhushan added that the parties had already approached the Election Commission of India (ECI), which declined the request.

 

In the last hearing of August 22, the court told the ECI to accept, apart from other documents, the Aadhaar card for the “claims and objection stage” of the SIR. 

 

Stressing that the exercise should be “voter-friendly”, the court said the persons excluded from the draft electoral roll, ahead of the Assembly elections, could submit online applications for inclusion. And, submitting them in physical form was not necessary.

 

The Aadhaar card was initially not on the ECI’s list of 11 documents that could be accepted as identity proof for voters.

 

Justice Bagchi had made a suggestion to the ECI that including the Aadhaar as a relevant document in the stage of claims and objections would mean more time was required for verification.

 

The court is hearing pleas challenging the ECI’s June 24 directive on SIR.

 

The directive requires voters not listed in the 2003 electoral roll to submit documents proving their citizenship.

 

Those born after December 2004 must also furnish the citizenship documents of both parents, with additional requirements if a parent is a foreign national.

 

The Association for Democratic Reforms, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra, Rashtriya Janata Dal parliamentarian Manoj Jha, Congress leader K C Venugopal, and former Bihar Assembly member Mujahid Alam are petitioners in the case.