Overview
- The apex court listed for July 10 petitions from RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, ADR, PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav and others seeking a stay on the SIR exercise.
- Petitioners contend that excluding widely held IDs like Aadhaar and ration cards and imposing birth-proof requirements risks disenfranchising over three crore voters, particularly among marginalized communities.
- They argue the SIR’s stringent timeline and procedural demands violate constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 19, 21, 325 and 326 and provisions of the Representation of the People Act and Registration of Electors Rules.
- Election Commission sources and Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer maintain that the revision is proceeding smoothly under the June 24 instructions and that voters can still submit documents during the claims and objections period.
- With assembly polls due in October–November, the court’s ruling will determine whether the Special Intensive Revision moves forward or is stayed.