"EC rightly carried out SIR, will continue in future": Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Supreme Court upholding Bihar SIR
Jaipur, May 27
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday hit out at the opposition parties for questioning the Special Intensive Revision drive and said that the Election Commission of India will continue with the revision exercise in future.
Speaking with ANI here, the Union Law Minister said that the opposition approached the Supreme Court while trying to highlight issues with the SIR process. However, he added that the apex court "clarified all issues" while asserting that the EC "rightly carried out the SIR process".
"The opposition raised the issue of SIR and even approached the Supreme Court, which heard the matter. Meanwhile, discussions took place in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with the government responding in the context of election reforms. Though challenged on various grounds, the Supreme Court clarified all issues. Since the voter list ultimately decides who wins and loses, the Election Commission rightly carried out the SIR process, and it will continue in future," Meghwal said.
Earlier, Advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said that the Supreme Court, while upholding the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, gave directions in the "procedural safeguards".
Speaking with the media, the advocate said that the apex court noted that the Election Commission of India cannot decide the citizenship of a person, adding that the ECI should refer to the appropriate authority regarding the deletion of names on the grounds of citizenship. He further said that the SC directed the ECI to include the names of people who are deemed citizens by the competent authority under the Citizenship Act.
"The justice which has been delivered in the SIR matter is applicable in case of Bihar. That is not all-India. In this judgment, safeguard which has been provided by the EC, it was sufficient and it has been held. But one interesting thing has been said that if EC has no authority to decide who is a citizen and who is not and if the EC has deleted any name on the ground of citizenship, then they should refer the matter to the appropriate authority under the Citizenship Act. That authority will decide whether the persons are citizens or non-citizens. If yes, then their names should be included. We had been saying for long, that the Centre/Police has no power to decide this," he said.
This comes after the Supreme Court upheld the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which was first undertaken in Bihar, holding that the exercise is constitutional, legally tenable and cannot be struck down merely because it differs from the ordinary process of voter-roll revision.
A bench of Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi held that the SIR exercise cannot be declared 'ultra vires' solely on the ground that it adopts a process distinct from the routine revision of electoral rolls contemplated under the statutory framework.
The Court further clarified that the ECI's powers in the process remain limited to determining eligibility for inclusion in electoral rolls and do not extend to ascertaining citizenship status. It held that the deletion of a person's name from the voter list does not divest that individual of citizenship, since citizenship can only be determined by the competent authority under law.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Important that the SC clarified EC cannot decide citizenship—that's a key safeguard. Too many genuine people, especially from poor communities, have had their names deleted without proper process. The direction to refer citizenship cases to appropriate authorities is right. Hope EC follows this carefully and doesn't overstep.
SIR in Bihar is long overdue. We've seen reports of bogus voters and duplicate entries for years. If the EC is serious about fair elections, this should be done across all states, not just Bihar. Opposition parties should welcome it if they have nothing to hide. Simple as that. 💯
While I support clean voter rolls, we must ensure this doesn't become a tool to disenfranchise legitimate voters, especially minorities and poor. The SC's rider about citizenship determination is crucial. EC should engage local communities and make the process transparent. Half the problem is lack of awareness—many don't even know how to check their names or file objections.
Good judgment from SC. The opposition was making a mountain out of a molehill. SIR is a routine administrative exercise—why oppose it unless you have something to hide? Let the EC do its job. Every responsible citizen should want accurate voter lists. Time to stop playing politics with election integrity.
I'm from Bihar and have relatives who faced issues during SIR. While I support cleaning rolls, the process on ground was messy—people had to run from pillar to post. The SC's direction to involve appropriate authorities for citizenship cases will help, but EC must also ensure proper notice and hearing before any deletion. Fair process matters as much as clean rolls.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.