Supreme Court Rush for Bihar's Voter Roll Revisions

The Supreme Court is facing a pressing decision regarding the electoral roll revisions in Bihar. The Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) have filed urgent pleas, seeking an extension of the September 1 deadline for filing claims and objections. This situation has arisen due to a rapid surge in submissions, which surpass 1.78 lakh after the original deadline had passed.

A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi will deliberate on this matter as political parties stress that numerous eligible voters might be sidelined from the upcoming elections if the timeline remains unchanged. Previously, an order had mistakenly listed the hearing date as September 8, but this was promptly corrected, affirming the hearing on September 1.

Advocates Prashant Bhushan and Shoeb Alam voiced concerns over unaddressed requests to the Election Commission, while AIMIM's Nizam Pasha highlighted the sheer volume of claims being registered. Both parties have requested that the period for filing claims be extended by at least two weeks to safeguard voters' rights, with the current roll revision having already reduced Bihar's voter count substantially.

(With inputs from agencies.)