Have To Remove Fake Voters: Poll Body To Top Court On Bihar Roll Revision

The Election Commission has denied the allegations of tweaking with the voter list in Bihar, as multiple opposition parties have claimed in court. In its reply filed in the Supreme Court on the SIR issue in Bihar, the Commission said it was fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to remove fake voters from the voter list, with which the electorate does not have a problem. The process, it had added, is close to completion according to the law.

The assembly elections in Bihar is just months away - the government formation has to take place before the year is out.

Citing the powers conferred under Article 324 of the Constitution in its affidavit, the Commission has argued that the entire process was being conducted in a consistent and jurisdictional manner.

In response to the question asked by the Court on the time limit, the Commission has said that more than 90 per cent of the counting forms were submitted ten days before the Commission's time limit for SIR.

The commission also raised questions alleging "misleading news" being run in a section of media regarding Special Intensive Revision (of electoral rolls) dubbed SIR.

The Commission said each voter who submitted the enumeration form with or without documents will be included in the draft roll that would be published on August 1. If any voter has been unable to submit his enumeration forms, they can be included in the final rolls once they submit a claim in the prescribed form along with the declaration.

"Therefore, any person excluded from the draft roll has another opportunity to be included by submission of the form with declaration and documents. This claims period is stipulated for another period of thirty-one days after the publication of the draft roll till, i.e., 1 September 2025," the Commission said.

After the completion of the entire process, the final roll will be published on September 30, it added. 

Even after the publication of the final roll, new voters can be enrolled up to the last date of nominations of the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, the Commission has said. 

The petitions challenging the poll body's decision on SIR were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms or ADR, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam and others.

The petitioners have asked the court to scrap the commission's June 24 directive, which requires large sections of voters in Bihar to submit proof of citizenship to remain on the electoral rolls.

The next hearing of the case will take place on July 28.