A leading non-governmental organisation, the Association of the Democratic Reforms (ADR), which deals with electoral transparency, has moved a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar. The state will be voting in November 2025, and the timing and the process involved in the revision have raised eyebrows even among the civil society and opposition parties.
The PIL, which was filed by the senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, challenges the validity and the justice of the ECI’s June 24 order to initiate the SIR. ADR states that the exercise has transformed the burden of proof to an individual voter and adds irrational restrictions, especially by disqualifying other identity documents like Aadhaar and ration cards. Voters have to demonstrate their citizenship, as well as that of one parent, to the other, or their names may be removed, expunged, or excluded from the list of voters.
ADR says that not only does such a requirement impose a burden, but even disenfranchises close to 3 crore voters, particularly marginalised ones with no access to the documents needed. The petition claims that the decision made by the ECI contradicts the fundamental rights ensured in Article 14, 19 and 21; and the right of voting in Article 326 of the Constitution.
Although Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 allows special revisions, the petition says that revisions should be justifiable by reasons recorded and revisions cannot be arbitrary and politically biased in nature. It is worth noting that, already, an SSR had been conducted between October 29, 2024 and January 6, 2025, that dealt with voter list inaccuracy.
Since the elections are near, ADR argues that the haste to conduct the SIR exercise may create several instances of voter suppression in Bihar due to the illogical timeline and limiting criteria to conduct the same.
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