‘What Are They Doing?’: SC Slams Political Parties For Not Assisting People Excluded In Bihar SIR

The Supreme Court on Friday criticised political parties in Bihar for their “silence and inaction” in assisting voters whose names were struck off during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the News18 reported.

Nearly 65 lakh names were excluded from the draft list published on 1 August.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the people can submit their objections with "any of the 11 documents [mentioned in Form 6 by Election Commission of India (ECI)] or Aadhaar card".

However, the bench observed that political parties had done little to help citizens file objections.

The court pointed out that 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by 12 recognised parties in Bihar had filed only two objections.

Expressing concern, the bench remarked, “What are they doing? We are surprised at this inaction.”

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In its order, the court directed that political parties in Bihar be impleaded as respondents and asked them to file status reports.

It further instructed BLAs to actively assist voters in submitting claims or objections, either online or physically.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were told to provide acknowledgement receipts for submissions, with the Election Commission asked to explore uploading these online for transparency.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Prashant Bhushan and Vrinda Grover sought an extension of the 1 September deadline for claims. The bench, however, refused for now, stating it would only reconsider if there is an “overwhelming response.”

The matter will be heard again on 8 September.

The Election Commission, in its affidavit, said that reasons for deletions included death, migration and duplicate entries, with full lists are available at district websites and local offices across Bihar.

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