Patna: The Supreme Court’s directions on Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls triggered sharp political reactions on Thursday, with CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya asserting that while the court has curtailed what he termed the Election Commission of India’s “obstinate” approach, the fundamental question of the SIR’s legality remains undecided. He pointed to the court’s insistence on transparency—directing publication of detailed, district-wise proposed deletions and reasons, and permitting Aadhaar as a document to contest deletions—as evidence that due process concerns flagged by petitioners were valid and required corrective steps.
Bhattacharya argued that the SIR framework and its rushed implementation have invited allegations of arbitrary deletions and disenfranchisement, particularly among vulnerable groups, and said the opposition would continue to press the legal challenge until the Supreme Court rules squarely on the validity of the June 24 order launching the exercise. Even as the bench described the expanded list of acceptable documents as “voter-friendly,” Dipankar underscored that the controversy is not merely about document options but about the constitutional soundness and practical fairness of the ongoing revision.
The Supreme Court has refused to halt the SIR but has tightened safeguards around inclusion and deletion, emphasizing reasons-based decisions, widespread publicization, and broader document flexibility, including the option to submit Aadhaar to contest being struck off the rolls. The petitions—filed by civil society groups and political leaders—challenge the SIR as arbitrary and violative of fundamental rights, and the matter remains pending for a conclusive determination on validity and process timelines.
Opposition parties said the court-mandated disclosures will enable affected voters to file targeted objections and restore entries where wrongful deletions occurred, while the ECI maintains the revision is necessary after a long gap to update Bihar’s rolls and is inclusionary by design. With further hearings scheduled, the political and legal battle over SIR is set to intensify, even as administrative machinery moves to comply with transparency directions and handle an expected surge in claims and corrections.
