Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar, calling it “another way to get back NRC” and accused the government of pushing an “authoritarian rule in the country” through it.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal addressed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar on Saturday, claiming it is “another way to get back NRC” and accusing the government of attempting to impose “authoritarian rule in the country.”
Sibal further suggested a collusion between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, alleging that while vote counts were increased in Maharashtra, they would be reduced in Bihar.
Sibal told media,
“It is being said that this exercise is a pilot project; It is another way to get back NRC… They want to impose majoritarian rule in India. They don’t want anyone else to come to power in India. In Maharashtra, they increased the number of votes, and here they are reducing them. It is my allegation that there is a partnership between the Election Commission and them (BJP),”
The Supreme Court, On 24th July, permitted the Election Commission to proceed with the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the elections.
A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi did not place a stay on the SIR process but requested the ECI to consider allowing Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards as valid documents for proving voter identity during the revision process.
The bench stated in its order,
“We are of the prima facie opinion that in the interest of justice, the Election Commission will also include documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, Voter ID card, etc. It is for the ECI to decide whether it wants to accept the documents or not, and if it does not, then provide reasons for its decision, which shall be sufficient to satisfy the petitioners. Meanwhile, petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay,”
The court noted that the timeline for the process is very tight, as elections in Bihar are scheduled for November.
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