Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has moved the Supreme Court, challenging an order by the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls in Bihar. It is pertinent to mention that Bihar goes to the polls later this year.
The last Special Intensive Revision of the voter list in Bihar was carried out in 2003.
What does Mahua Moitra demand?
In her petition, Moitra has requested the Supreme Court to immediately halt the implementation of the ECI's order and direct the Commission not to issue any such order in other states.
Mahua Moitra alleges that this order is arbitrary, unconstitutional, and excludes the poor, women, and migrant voters from the voting process.
Earlier, the Association of Democratic Reforms had moved the Supreme Court, challenging the Election Commission's direction for SIR. The NGO has sought the setting aside of the order and communication, arguing that it violates Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the Representation of People's Act, 1950, and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who filed the plea, said the EC order "can arbitrarily and without due process" disenfranchise lakhs of voters and disrupt free and fair elections. "That the documentation requirements of the directive, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for the said Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Roll in Bihar further make this exercise bound to result in removal of names of lakhs of genuine voters from electoral rolls leading to their disenfranchisement," Prashant Bhushan said.
Why revision of electoral rolls in Bihar?
On June 24, the Election Commission (EC) issued instructions to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, aimed at removing ineligible names and ensuring only eligible citizens are included.
The EC stated that the revision was necessitated by factors such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, newly eligible young voters, non-reporting of deaths, and the inclusion of names of illegal foreign immigrants. The objective, it said, is to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the electoral roll.
Booth-level officers are carrying out the exercise through a house-to-house survey for voter verification.
The EC also assured that the process would strictly follow constitutional and legal provisions, as outlined in Article 326 of the Constitution and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
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