ADR files petition in SC against revision of elector rolls in Bihar

The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), has approached the Supreme Court questioning the manner and timing of the Election Commission's decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar amid a political storm over the issue.

- Abraham Thomas

In its public interest litigation (PIL), ADR said SIR needs to be set aside, as insisting on people to prove their citizenship and that of their parents within short notice and without relying upon easily available identity documents such as Aadhaar card will potentially disenfranchise nearly 3 crore voters.

The petition filed through Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday said, “The order dated June 24 issued by the ECI has shifted the onus of being on the voters’ list from the state to citizens. It has excluded identification documents such as Aadhaar or ration cards, which further make marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting, thereby undermining the constitutional right to universal adult suffrage and equality.”