New Delhi – The Election Commission of India (ECI) told the Supreme Court that the claims it deleted thousands of names from Bihar’s voter list were wrong. The court heard the argument on Thursday in a case brought by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
ECI lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi argued that the affidavits used by ADR’s lawyer Prashant Bhushan were incorrect. He said the people who said they were “deleted” never even made it onto the draft list because they did not submit the required enumeration forms. “If they didn’t file the form, they simply do not appear on the roll,” Dwivedi told Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The Supreme Court was not happy with the affidavit that Bhushan filed without checking its accuracy. The bench said that filing false documents is “perjury” and that the commission had no reason to remove anyone who never submitted the form. The court also warned ADR to verify affidavits before passing them on.
In its order, the court asked the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to work with local legal aid groups so people who were wrongfully left off the voter list can file appeals. The appeals window remains open for five more days. The ECI promised the court it would process all new appeals quickly.
The court reminded local volunteers that they must announce their contact details in villages and help voters understand their rights. The state-level legal services body must report back in a week.
Earlier in the session, ECI officials reminded the court of their duty to keep electoral rolls pure. They said only 18‑year‑old Indian citizens who meet residency requirements can be on the roll, and that Aadhaar cards can prove identity but not citizenship.
ECI also confirmed that the Bihar Assembly elections will run in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting on November 14. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar described the election as the “mother of all elections,” stressing that it will be the smoothest and most peaceful in Bihar’s history.
The November polls are the first big election in Bihar after a massive “Special Intensive Revision” cleaned up the state’s voter list.
Source: ianslive
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