Electoral Roll Integrity: The Supreme Court's Intervention in the Bihar SIR
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Elections, Electoral Rolls, ECI, Supreme Court, Legal Services Authorities Act).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act; Powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies (ECI, Judiciary); Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability; Role of civil society.
Key Highlights from the News
The Supreme Court's September 1st order allowed voters unfairly removed from Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral roll to file complaints even after the deadline.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed this decision, stating that complaints would be accepted until the last date for filing nominations.
Aadhaar card can be used as a primary document for those removed to prove their identity.
The Court instructed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to utilize the services of para-legal volunteers to assist voters and political parties.
Out of 6.5 million removed, only 33,000 reapplied, pointing to data confusion. One reason cited is the use of the same Form 6 for adding new voters and re-adding removed ones.
COMMENTS