The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The matter will be heard on Thursday.
A Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi agreed to hear the pleas against the poll body’s decision to revise electoral rolls in the state.
The Commission’s move was challenged in the Apex Court over the manner and timing of undertaking a special intensive revision in the state.
Several petitions have been filed before the top court claiming that if the SIR is not set aside, it can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives and disrupt free and fair elections.
A partial working day (PWD) bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi took note of the submissions of a battery of senior lawyers led by Kapil Sibal on behalf of several petitioners and agreed to hear the pleas on Thursday.
Sibal, who appeared for RJD MP Manoj Jha, urged the bench to issue notices to the poll panel on the petitions, saying it is an impossible task to be done within the timeline (as elections are likely to be held in November).
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for another petitioner, submitted that there are around eight crore voters in the state of which around four crore voters will have to submit their documents under the exercise.