Bihar SIR exercise: SC directs EC to accept Aadhaar, asks political parties to assist excluded voters
The top court also asked the poll body to allow excluded voters to make online submissions besides physical. t further directed the EC to give acknowledgement receipts to claims submitted by booth level agents of political parties.
New Delhi: Those who have been excluded as voters from the Bihar electoral roll as part of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) exercise can challenge their exclusion by presenting the Aadhaar as proof of residence, the Supreme Court said on Friday as it directed the Election Commission to add the government-issued ID to a list of 11 valid documents.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the poll body to allow excluded voters to submit claims through online mode besides making physical submissions. It further directed the EC to give acknowledgement receipts to claims submitted by booth level agents of political parties.
SC asks political parties to assist excluded voters
The apex court also asked Bihar Chief Election Officer to implead political parties in court proceeding and ask for status report on claim submission. It also asked political parties in Bihar to come forward, assist excluded voters from Bihar electoral rolls and register their claims. The SC asked why political parties had not assisted the over 65 lakh deleted voters.
"Political parties are not doing their jobs...What are your BLAs (booth-level agents) doing? Political parties must help voters" the two-judge bench said as it resumed hearing on a batch of pleas against the EC June 24 decision to conduct SIR in Bihar ahead of upcoming Assembly elections. The SC posted the matter for next hearing on September 8.
SC called SIR 'voter-friendly' exercise
Last week, the apex court said that the Election Commission's document check exercise is "voter-friendly", rebuffing the argument that it is an exclusionary move. The SC noted that for a summary revision - conducted earlier in the state - seven eligible documents were needed, but for the SIR exercise, the number has been raised to 11. "The expansion of documents is actually voter friendly. Look at the number of documents by which you can prove citizenship. It gives them more options," Justice Bagchi had observed.