The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision SIR exercise, which started in Bihar on June 25, has triggered a political storm. Opposition parties dubbed it ‘a rigging attempt’ orchestrated by the Election Commission under instructions from the ruling regime.
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday raised critical questions over the timing and procedural integrity of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, where Assembly elections are due in late 2025. The top court particularly sought a clear explanation from the poll body on why Aadhaar has been excluded from the list of 11 documents permitted for the enumeration process.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi observed, “What they are doing is a mandate under the Constitution. There is a practicality involved. They fixed the date (2003 roll) because it was the first time after computerisation. So, there is logic. You can demolish it, but you cannot say there is no logic.”
The court was hearing multiple petitions challenging the EC’s decision to revise voter rolls through the SIR process, which began in Bihar on June 25. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the core grievance was the exclusion of both Aadhaar and the Election Commission-issued identity card (ECI) as acceptable documents for enumeration, thereby potentially disenfranchising eligible voters.
Key Updates
Justice Bagchi questions the timing of the SIR exercise
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Concerns of the petitioners are premature, ECI tells SC
SC says it will question the ECI on its decision to exclude Aadhaar from the list of accepted documents
Bihar is just the first stage; SIR will eventually be rolled out across the country: Sankaranarayanan
SIR exercise in Bihar was carried out in a slapdash manner, petitioners tell SC
Supporting this concern, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that denying a single eligible voter their right to be counted undermines the democratic process and strikes at the heart of the Constitution’s basic structure.
The petitions, filed by political parties, civil society groups, and individuals, call the EC’s exercise “blatantly unconstitutional”, alleging it paves the way for targeted voter exclusion ahead of the elections. The opposition Congress party has described the revision as a “rigging attempt” allegedly orchestrated by the ruling NDA government via the poll panel.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the move, stating that this was the first intensive revision in over 20 years, aimed at cleaning the electoral rolls and ensuring only eligible voters are retained. According to him, more than 57% of voters had already submitted forms under the enumeration process.
Protests erupted across Bihar on Wednesday against the EC’s campaign, with Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition head Rahul Gandhi alleging a “repeat of Maharashtra-style rigging” in Bihar. “We will not allow this manipulation,” he said.
The Supreme Court is expected to continue hearing the matter in the coming days, as the controversy puts the spotlight on voter rights, data authenticity, and the impartiality of democratic institutions.