The Supreme Court will hear several petitions on Thursday challenging the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar, reported the Times of India.
The top court agreed to an urgent hearing but refused to stop the ongoing revision process.
Petitions were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, activist Yogendra Yadav, ADR, PUCL, and ex-MLA Mujahid Alam.
They argue that the revision could lead to mass disenfranchisement.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Shadan Farasat, and Gopal Sankaranarayanan represented the petitioners.
They warned that lakhs of names—especially of women, poor, and underprivileged—might be removed.
Sibal stressed that the issue affects the voting rights of lakhs and needs urgent court attention.
The Election Commission began the revision on June 24.
It said the update was needed due to urbanisation, migration, new voters, and unreported deaths.
The EC noted that the last such revision in Bihar took place in 2003.
It said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are doing door-to-door surveys.
BLOs have strict orders to verify documents and avoid wrongful deletions, especially from vulnerable groups.
The EC also asked political parties to help resolve issues early in the process.
As Bihar prepares for Assembly elections, the court’s decision could impact the crucial but controversial revision.
