(Image source from: IANS)

The Supreme Court on Friday criticized political parties in Bihar for their lack of response and failure to support voters who were impacted by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which led to nearly 65 lakh names being removed from the draft list. During the hearing of petitions from civil society organizations and opposition parties, a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna pointed out that while the Election Commission had followed previous instructions to publish the names of those deleted at the district level online, issue public announcements, and accept Aadhaar as proof for re-inclusion, political parties had not done much to assist citizens in lodging objections. The court raised concerns that 1.6 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by 12 recognized parties in Bihar had submitted only two objections, even though they were expected to help voters. “We are astonished by this inaction," Justice Khanna commented, emphasizing that the revision process should prioritize the needs of voters.

In its directive, the bench provided several instructions. It stated:

Political parties in Bihar will be included as respondents and need to present status updates.
Booth Level Agents must actively help voters in submitting objections or claims, either online or in person.
Aadhaar or any of the 11 documents listed will be adequate for application submissions.
Booth Level Officers should issue receipts for any physical submissions, but these receipts will not guarantee that the forms are complete.
The Election Commission was advised to consider posting these acknowledgments on its website for greater transparency.

While prominent lawyers Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Prashant Bhushan, Vrinda Grover, and others requested an extension of the September 1 deadline, the court declined for the time being, stating it would reassess the situation only if there is a strong response. The issue will be reviewed again on September 8.