Bihar Ballot Roll Overhaul: Will not Lose Citizenship If Rejected By SIR, Election Fee Tells SC

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In an 88-page affidavit, the ECI defended the SIR course of as a constitutional mandate to take care of the purity and integrity of electoral rolls
The particular revision is a part of the EC’s broader effort to make sure accuracy within the electoral rolls forward of the elections to be held later this 12 months. File pic/News18
The Election Fee of India (ECI) has assured the Supreme Court docket that an individual wouldn’t lose Indian citizenship if discovered ineligible for registration within the electoral rolls below the continued particular intensive revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar. This assurance addressed issues from opposition events and civil society teams that the train may result in mass disenfranchisement and act as a “citizenship screening” drive.
In an 88-page affidavit filed on Monday, the ECI defended the SIR course of as a constitutional mandate to take care of the purity and integrity of electoral rolls. The fee emphasised its authorized and constitutional authority to request proof of citizenship to allow the fitting to vote. Nevertheless, it clarified that ineligibility below Article 326 (grownup suffrage) doesn’t have an effect on citizenship standing, which is decided by the ministry of residence affairs.
The electoral roll revision started on June 24, with a complete house-to-house enumeration in Bihar, requiring all 7.8 crore present electors to submit new varieties by July 25. The draft rolls will probably be printed on August 1, adopted by a claims and objections interval till September 1, with the ultimate rolls due on September 30.
Petitioners, together with the Affiliation for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and numerous political figures, have expressed issues in regards to the timing of the train close to the November 2025 meeting elections, the burden of proof on residents, and the exclusion of widespread paperwork like Aadhaar, voter ID playing cards (EPICs), and ration playing cards from the checklist of accepted paperwork.
Though the Supreme Court docket has allowed the SIR to proceed, it has recommended that Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration playing cards must be thought of for verification. Nevertheless, the ECI reiterated that these paperwork can’t be accepted as “standalone paperwork” for SIR, citing causes akin to Aadhaar solely being proof of id and the prevalence of pretend ration playing cards.
The ballot physique assured rigorous safeguards to forestall the exclusion of eligible voters and maintained that the method is clear and truthful, with almost 90% of electors having already submitted their varieties by July 18.
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