The Supreme Court on Monday said it would cancel the entire Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise in poll-bound Bihar if any illegality is found in the methodology adopted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi hearing the matter against the survey said it was presuming that the poll panel, being a constitutional authority, had followed the law and mandatory rules in the conduct of the SIR.
Furthermore, the top court refused to give any piecemeal opinion on the issue, making it clear that its final verdict would have pan-India implications for the SIR exercise.
The Supreme Court has fixed October 7 for hearing final arguments on the validity of the SIR exercise in Bihar.
The Supreme Court on September 8 directed that Aadhaar be treated as the twelfth valid document for inclusion in Bihar's electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision. The order came after complaints that election officials were refusing to accept it despite earlier instructions.
The court overruled the Election Commission's objections, making it clear that while Aadhaar cannot prove citizenship, it remains a legitimate proof of identity and residence.
The SIR drive has come under fire from opposition parties, who allege that lakhs of genuine voters are being struck off the rolls without proper verification. They argue the exclusion of Aadhaar from the EC's approved list of 11 documents unfairly disadvantages voters, since it is far more widely held than other IDs.
On August 18, the ECI published a draft list showing that 65 lakh names had been deleted as part of the SIR exercise.
Meanwhile, the poll panel has rebuked Opposition over its "vote chori" (vote theft) allegation and accused political parties of misleading voters while shifting blame onto the poll body.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has also asked Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition chief Rahul Gandhi to either file an affidavit with evidence or issue a public apology for his allegations against the poll panel.
Source: India Today