‘There is logic’: Supreme Court backs EC’s Bihar voter list revision, but questions timing

A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi observed, “What they are doing is a mandate under the Constitution. There is a practicality involved. They fixed the date because it was the first time after computerisation. So there is a logic.” However, the court also questioned the urgency of the revision: “But you decide only a couple of months before a proposed election?”

Petitioners Raise Concerns Over Timing and Documentation Process

The court was hearing multiple petitions challenging the ECI’s move. The opposition, including the Congress and the RJD, has strongly criticised the timing, alleging political motives behind the decision. The EC, however, maintains that large-scale additions and deletions in the voter rolls over the past 20 years have led to the risk of duplicate entries, prompting the need for a special revision.

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Representing the petitioners, advocate Sankarnarayanan argued that while the ECI’s powers are not being contested, the manner of the exercise appears “completely arbitrary and discriminatory.” He further pointed out a crucial issue related to citizenship verification, noting: “They are saying that before 2003 the presumption of citizenship is in your favour. However, after 2003, even if you have voted in five elections, it doesn’t matter whether the presumption of citizenship is not in your favour.”

Another point of contention raised was the exclusion of Aadhaar cards and voter IDs from the list of 11 acceptable documents for identity verification during the process, further fueling criticism around the procedural transparency of the exercise.