Today, On 22nd August, Supreme Court, in Bihar SIR row, slammed political parties for silence on missing 65 lakh voters. Justice Kant said, “We are on inaction of political parties now… What are the booth level agents doing then?”
New Delhi: Today, During the hearing on voter exclusion in Bihar, the Supreme Court on Friday expressed strong concern over the inaction of political parties.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter.
Justice Kant said he is surprised by why the parties are not doing anything.
Justice Kant said,
“We are on inaction of political parties now. What are the booth level agents doing then? Why distance between political workers and the local people.”
He added,
“Political workers are the best persons. Why is there a distance between the people and the local political worker, he wonders.”
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission of India (ECI), told the Court that the earlier directions had been followed.
He said,
“We have complied with the earlier order in letter and spirit. Apart from BLA and panchayat, we have also pasted this (those excluded) outside police stations. Anyone wrongly excluded can file form with supporting documents.”
The Commission noted that no major political party had lodged any complaints or objections despite public outcry.
The court has formally included 12 political parties in the case and instructed them to direct their party members to help individuals file complaints using any of the 11 documents specified by the ECI or an Aadhaar card.
The bench expressed astonishment that Bihar has over 168,000 booth-level agents (BLAs) from political parties, yet only two objections have been filed according to the Election Commission.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), pointed out that many individuals remain unaware of the process. He noted that the ECI is now requiring those with claims to submit Form 6 for new entries along with a declaration and Aadhaar.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, also representing the petitioners, raised concerns about the legality of the entire Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing a petitioner organization, argued that the ECI’s actions were creating confusion. She emphasized that a reasonable amount of time should be allowed for the process
The Election Commission of India (ECI), On 24 June 2025, started a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar before the Assembly elections. Under this process, voters were asked to provide updated documents, but many citizens did not have them.
Opposition parties and several NGOs criticised this move, saying it could deprive a large number of genuine voters of their right to vote. They approached the Supreme Court (SC), calling the ECI’s action arbitrary and against the Constitution.
The Commission, On 1 August 2025, released the draft electoral roll, which showed a total of 7.24 crore registered voters. At the same time, around 65 lakh names were removed from the list.
Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), requested the Supreme Court to order the ECI to make public the full list of voters whose names were dropped, along with the reasons for each deletion. They said that without such transparency, many citizens might lose their right to vote without being given a fair chance to object.
Case Title: ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ORS. Versus ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA, W.P.(C) No. 640/2025 (and connected cases)
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Bihar SIR Row
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