New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) Thursday refuted before the Supreme Court allegations that a large number of names were deleted from the final voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, countered that the affidavits relied upon by Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing on behalf of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), were inaccurate.
Dwivedi told a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, that several individuals claimed to have been “deleted” were never part of the draft list because they had not submitted their enumeration forms.
The poll body stated that a “false” affidavit had been filed, which amounts to perjury, and clarified that the individual in question had never appeared in the draft list, adding that the person had failed to submit the necessary enumeration form, leading to their exclusion from the final list. At this, the Justice Kant-led Bench expressed displeasure with Bhushan for submitting the affidavit without proper verification.
“The person should have disclosed the correct information, we do not appreciate this,” the apex court remarked. Bhushan attempted to defend his position, stating that there were affidavits from 20 other individuals in a similar situation, and that it was not possible to verify their authenticity.
However, the apex court said, “After our experience with this affidavit, we don’t know how authentic the others will be!” It added that it was ADR’s responsibility to ensure the veracity of such affidavits before they were handed over to the top court.
In its order, the Justice Kant-led Bench requested the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA) to communicate with the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) to ensure the availability of paralegal volunteers and legal aid lawyers who can assist the persons omitted from voters’ list in filing appeals.
With the window for filing appeals still open for another five days, the ECI assured the Supreme Court that appeals received would be promptly addressed.
“The DLSAs must publicise contact details of these volunteers across villages, coordinate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and ensure that all eligible citizens are informed of their rights,” the apex court ordered, asking BSLSA to file a status report within a week.
Earlier in the day, the ECI informed the Supreme court that it is conscious of its responsibility to maintain the purity and integrity of voters’ list. “The Commission is conscious of its responsibilities to ensure that the purity and integrity of electoral roll is maintained and only eligible persons as per Article 326, i.e. of 18 years of age and citizen of India and fulfilling the residency requirement, are enrolled in the electoral roll,” the poll body stated in an affidavit.
The reply was filed by Deputy Election Commissioner in response to an application seeking a direction “to ensure that only Indian citizens decide the polity and policy of the country, not illegal Pakistani, Afghanistani, Rohingya, Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
The ECI reiterated that Aadhaar cards can be accepted as valid proof of identity for inclusion or exclusion in electoral rolls, but not as evidence of citizenship.
Meanwhile, the ECI has announced that the Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described the upcoming Bihar polls as the “mother of all elections,” highlighting the extensive preparations made to ensure peaceful and transparent voting.
“We want to assure the voters of Bihar that the elections will not only be smooth and fair but also the most peaceful ever, with a special focus on law and order,” said the CEC, joined by fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
This year’s elections mark the first major electoral exercise in Bihar following the SIR-driven purification of the state’s voter list.
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