New Delhi, July 8: India’s Supreme Court on Monday agreed to urgently hear a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out a “Special Intensive Revision” of the electoral rolls in Bihar, a move critics say could disenfranchise millions of voters.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed to list the matter for hearing on Thursday, after Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, and Shadan Farasat jointly mentioned the case for urgent intervention.
Petitioners argued that the ECI’s decision would impose an unreasonable burden on the electorate, with strict documentation requirements and an unrealistic timeline for compliance.
“Eight crore is the electorate and four crore have to do the enumeration,” Singhvi submitted, calling the process an “impossible task.” Sibal, appearing for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), alleged that voters who have consistently participated in elections for the past two decades could be deleted from the rolls if they fail to submit required documents by the July 25 deadline.
Sankaranarayanan added that Aadhaar and voter ID cards were not being accepted as valid proof, while Singhvi noted that non-compliance within the set deadline could lead to mass disenfranchisement.
Justice Dhulia observed that the timeline set by the ECI does not carry legal sanctity, as elections have not yet been formally notified. The bench allowed petitioners to serve advance notice to the Election Commission and scheduled the matter for hearing later this week.
At least four petitions have been filed so far challenging the ECI’s revision exercise in Bihar. The petitioners include RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), activist Yogendra Yadav, and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra.
The legal challenge comes amid heightened political activity in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections, with opposition parties warning that the revision process could selectively remove voters and distort the democratic process.
