Supreme Court Backs EC's Decision on Bihar Voter Roll Revision

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Election Commission's stance regarding the exclusion of Aadhaar and voter ID cards as definitive proof of citizenship in Bihar's electoral roll revision. This decision, centered during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), was challenged by opposition parties, sparking debates both inside and outside Parliament.

With the EC asserting that 6.5 crore of the 7.9 crore eligible voters didn't need to file any documents, the court termed the issue as a "trust deficit." Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi accused the EC of presumptive exclusion, claiming that 5 crore people were at risk of disfranchisement, which drew stern questions from the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi.

The EC, defended by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, argued the revision aimed at purifying the electoral rolls by removing ineligible entries. Despite controversies, the bench highlighted the importance of correcting any errors during this draft stage, emphasizing that inadvertent exclusions could be rectified before the final roll publication on September 30.

(With inputs from agencies.)