Cyclostyled notices and mass voter deletions during the Bihar SIR raised before the Supreme Court, highlighting transparency concerns in electoral roll revision.
Case in NewsCyclostyled Notices in Bihar SIR exposed before Supreme Court of India amid SIR challenge hearing . |
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Case Overview
Case Name: Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors. vs. Election Commission of India & Ors.
The Supreme Court of India comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, heard petitions questioning the legality and transparency of the Statewide Intensive Revision (SIR) process, particularly the Bihar SIR . Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued 26 lakh identical notices without assigning reasons, deleted lakhs of names and later re-added many through Form 6, creating serious doubts about the integrity of the electoral roll .
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Key Aspects
Before listing the issues, it is important to understand that the petitioners allege systemic flaws in the SIR process . The complaints revolve around arbitrary voter deletion, lack of transparency and procedural irregularities . These issues directly impact the accuracy of electoral rolls raising constitutional concerns about fair elections .
- Issuance of 26 lakh cyclostyled notices without specifying reasons for doubting eligibility .
- 65 lakh deletions from draft rolls; 21 lakh later re-added only via Form 6 .
- Voters compelled to falsely declare themselves “new voters” to restore names .
- 59 lakh duplicate entries found across constituencies in draft rolls .
- Bulk elector anomalies: single addresses showing 500+ voters; 5 lakh+ voters marked with “0” as address .
- ECI declined to share machine-readable rolls, citing privacy concerns .
Legal Insights
This section explains the legal framework governing electoral roll preparation and why the petitioners allege violations . The focus lies on statutory duties, judicial precedents and ECI’s transparency obligations .
Requirement of Reasoned Notices – Lal Babu Hussein vs. ERO
- Supreme Court precedent mandates that voter notices must specify clear reasons for doubt .
- Cyclostyled, reasonless notices allegedly violate this requirement .
Powers under Section 21(3), Representation of the People Act, 1950
- Deals with correction of entries and removal of names .
- Petitioners argue ECI exceeded or misused this statutory power during SIR .
Compliance with ECI Manual & Transparency Norms
- ECI Manual mandates open, transparent voter roll processes .
- Non-disclosure of added/deleted voter lists allegedly breaches these guidelines .
Privacy Argument & Kamal Nath vs. ECI
- Supreme Court did not bar searchable voter lists .
- Petitioners argue privacy concerns cannot justify withholding machine-readable data .
Court’s Verdict
The Supreme Court of India has not yet delivered its verdict. The Bench will resume hearing on December 9, examining allegations about the Bihar SIR, including cyclostyled notices, mass deletions, duplication issues, and the scope of ECI’s powers under Section 21(3) of the RPA, 1950.
Source – Supreme Court of India
Read also – Verdict
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