Political parties should "act as NGOs (non-governmental organisations) at this time", the Supreme Court said Tuesday morning as the Bihar voter list row rolled over into another day.
The court - asked for a stay on the Election Commission's 'special intensive revision' before November's Assembly poll - suggested opposition parties hit the ground and bring evidence of their concerns, i.e., the exclusion of genuine voters, to add weight to their complaint.
The petitioners were assured that the court will step in if there is mass exclusion of voters.
"We are overviewing the (process) as a judicial authority. If there is mass exclusion, we will immediately step in. Bring 15 people saying they are alive," Justice Joymalya Bagchi said.
These remarks were made after the EC said 65 lakh people - whom the poll panel said were either dead or had moved out of the state - been excluded from a draft roll.
READ | Phase 1 Of Bihar Poll Roll Revision Over, 65.2 Lakh Voters At Risk
The court also set a deadline for all parties in this case to conclude arguments.
The next hearing will be on August 12.
"The January 2025 list is the starting point if there was no 'special intensive revision'... the draft list will be published by the Election Commission. (On) your apprehension that 65 lakh voters will not feature... they (the EC) are seeking corrections vis-a-vis 2025 entries," the court began.
The Election Commission told the court excluded voters had been given 30 days to appeal and said political parties raising objections should "assist (voters) in adding their names".
Justice Surya Kant agreed, "Political parties should act as NGOs at this time."
NDTV Explains | Row Over 'Special Intensive Revision' Of Bihar Voter List
Appearing for the one of the petitioners, senior advocate Kapil Sibal suggested the poll panel mention the names of the excluded persons in the draft list to be published August 1. "If the draft list is conspicuously silent (on excluded people) you can bring it to our notice," the court told Mr Sibal.
In a brief hearing Monday, the court underlined its belief people must be able to use commonly used government IDs, like Aadhaar, to verify or re-verify their names on the electoral roll.
READ | "Include Aadhaar, Voter ID": Top Court To Poll Body On Bihar Voter List
The court pointed out the risk of forgery - which the EC claimed had led it to also rule out the voter ID card it releases - could happen for any of the 11 it had allowed.
READ | "Why Such Big Fuss?" Poll Body On Row Over Bihar Voter Roll Revision
"There's presumption of correctness with official documents... you proceed with these two, i.e., Aadhaar and E-PIC. Any document in the world can be forged," Justice Surya Kant remarked.
However, the court again, as it has in every hearing since this case began, refused to stay a voter list revision that, as of July 25 had reportedly covered 99.8 per cent of registered voters.
The entire process has been questioned by the opposition, which claims it is designed to eliminate those sections of people and communities who traditionally vote for them.
The Bihar voter list protests also carried over to Parliament this week.
The EC, however, said the exercise is necessary because the last such revision was done in 2003. It has also stressed that no eligible voter will be left out of the list.
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