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'Accept 11 documents or Aadhaar': SC's big directive to EC on Bihar SIR exercise
We will allow online submission of claims of deleted voters with Aadhaar card or any other acceptable documents for Bihar SIR, the Supreme Court said.
The Supreme Court told the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday to “accept 11 documents or Aadhaar card” from people for the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) activity, adding that the entire exercise should be voter friendly.
The Supreme Court was hearing pleas over the contentious Bihar SIR exercise, under which the EC is revising the electoral rolls in the poll-bound state and has asked for 11 documents, which exclude Aadhaar, from the persons who have been excluded from the lists.
The EC on Monday, August 18, came out with the names of 65 lakh people who were removed from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the SIR exercise.
We will allow online submission of claims of deleted voters with Aadhaar card or any other acceptable documents for Bihar SIR, the Supreme Court said.
The Supreme Court also allowed excluded voters to make online submissions besides physical.
Also Read: Yes or no SIR? Bihar electoral roll revision row explained in 10 simple points
“…to issue specific directions to BLAs [booth level agents] to assist voters for submission of requisite forms alongwith any of the 11 documents OR Aadhaar card. In order to facilitate the voters, all above-mentioned political parties to be impleaded as respondents,” LiveLaw quoted the Supreme Court as saying in its order on Friday.
The Supreme Court expressed surprise over political parties' “inaction” in not coming forward with the correction of names of deleted voters in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar.
The Supreme Court took note of ECI’s submission that 85,000 new voters have come forward in SIR of Bihar, and only two objections have been filed by booth-level agents of political parties.
The issue stems from the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, over which concerns have been raised by opposition parties about the deletion of genuine voters' names, allegedly without proper verification.
Opposition has alleged that the SIR exercise is unfair as the 11 documents required for addition of name to the electoral roll does not include Aadhaar, which is a commonly held document as opposed to others.
The Supreme Court had directed the EC to publish the deleted names by August 19 and file a compliance report by August 22.
The EC published the names of 'ASD' (Absentee, Shifted, and Dead) voters across polling booths, and also online as directed by the apex court, they said.
According to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Bihar, ASD lists have been displayed at polling booths in Rohtas, Begusarai, Arwal, Siwan, Bhojpur, Jehanabad, Lakhisarai, Banka, Darbhanga, Purnea and other places.
