Patna: The Supreme Court has taken a stern stance on Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, warning it will intervene if it finds arbitrary removal of names—particularly of living voters—being labelled as deceased. The bench, led by Justice Joymalya Bagchi, has scheduled the next hearing for 12 and 13 August.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the court directed the petitioners to present at least 15 examples where names had been removed on the grounds of death, despite the individuals still being alive. “If this is happening, we will immediately intervene,” Justice Bagchi said.
Concerns over mass deletions
The controversy stems from the Election Commission’s claim that approximately 6.5 million names have been struck off Bihar’s electoral rolls under the SIR exercise. Of these, 2.2 million have been declared dead, 3.6 million as relocated, and 700,000 as permanently shifted voters.
Multiple petitions—filed by 11 individuals including RJD MP Manoj Jha and TMC MP Mahua Moitra—allege that the exercise is unconstitutional and discriminatory. The petitioners argue that marginalised and minority groups are being disproportionately targeted ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Sharp criticism from the bench
The court expressed concern over the criteria used for deleting names and questioned the Election Commission’s rejection of widely accepted identification documents. “Why are Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards not considered valid ID proof?” the bench asked. The Commission responded that ration cards could be forged. The court countered, “No document on earth is forgery-proof—then what is the rationale behind your list of 11 documents?”
Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the Election Commission has no authority to determine citizenship—a power vested solely in the Constitution and Parliament. The bench also questioned why Aadhaar, which is accepted for caste certification, is excluded as proof in this process. Commission counsel Rakesh Dwivedi responded that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship and thus has limited utility.
Election Commission’s defence
According to figures released on 27 July, Bihar’s current voter count stands at 72.4 million, down from 78.9 million. The Commission has defended the revision process as constitutional, noting that it is the first such exercise since 2003. Officials stressed that the current list is only a draft and subject to further revisions.
While the Supreme Court had originally scheduled the next hearing for 28 July, it has now been deferred to 12 and 13 August. The bench has made it clear that it will not hesitate to annul the entire process if significant irregularities are uncovered.
