Image : Representational Purpose Only
The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to publish by August 19 details of the 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar to enhance ‘transparency’ in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list and allow Aadhaar as an acceptable document for identity proof.
As reported by PTI, Observing that the EC should put at rest the ‘narrative being built’ against it, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also ordered that the details should include reasons for their non-inclusion during the ongoing SIR exercise.”Transparency will create voter confidence.”
The revision of the voters’ list in Bihar–the first since 2003–has sparked a huge political row.
The SIR’s findings have reduced the total number of 7.9 crore registered voters in Bihar, from before the exercise, to 7.24 crore.
The Congress described the EC directive as a ‘beacon of hope’ and a ‘massive victory for democracy’, and said the top court has upheld the Constitution in a ‘categorical, convincing, and courageous’ manner.
The Congress along with the RJD and an NGO Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) are the petitioners in the case.
Reacting to the EC order, Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said the Court rejecting the EC’s decision to not accept Aadhar is also a major boost since in a state like Bihar it is the most widely held document by the poor and marginalised.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the court order exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party, its allies and their ‘nefarious design’ to disenfranchise people.
