In a fresh development to the ongoing political controversy over the issue, Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has given no valid reason to exclude Aadhaar and ration cards from the list of acceptable documents in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The organisation made the submission in a rejoinder to the reply filed by the ECI opposing the petitions challenging the SIR in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The poll body had said that Aadhaar and ration cards can be obtained through fraudulent or falsified documentation.
In the rejoinder, the NGO has said the 11 documents included in the approved list are equally susceptible to being procured on the basis of fake or false documentation."The fact that Aadhar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining Permanent Residence Certificate, OBC/SC/ST Certificate and for passport – makes ECI’s rejection of Aadhar (which is most widely held document) under the instant SIR order patently absurd," it added.
ADR has also alleged that the SIR lacks any defined procedure for the examination of enumeration forms or the verification of supporting documents.It says that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are vested with broad and unchecked discretion that could result in disenfranchisement of a significant segment of Bihar’s population. In particular, it has highlighted that a single ERO is tasked with handling the enumeration forms of over 3 lakh individuals. The reply also cited media reports claiming that enumeration forms are being filled in the absence of voters.
"This lack of defined procedure enables EROs to act arbitrarily and to exercise their discretion in a manner that is susceptible to misuse and undermines the integrity of the electoral process and democracy which is a fundamental right," the rejoinder states.
It has further said that the affected voters would not get sufficient time to have their appeals adjudicated in time.
Meanwhile, on the ECI's explanation that the SIR was necessary due to migration of voters, ADR has said that the process of updating the electoral list all over the country has been a continuous process. With regard to Bihar, it said that the deadline of three months to complete the SIR put a lot of eligible voters under "huge risk of disenfranchisement."
"The exclusion of voters, as pointed out by the petitioners is currently playing out on the ground, with many electors without documents in no position to provide the same. With elections stated to be held in October-November 2025, there is no time for a large number of voters -- both who do not have documents but have submitted form and whose names do not find a mention in draft roll to get themselves included in the rolls. Moreover, the impact of deletion of migrated electors can be substantial if they are clustered within a few constituencies and demographics."
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