New Delhi, Aug 14
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar as a “massive victory for democracy†and a strong message to those who sought to “distort the electoral process."
Reacting to the verdict, Venugopal, one of the petitioners in the case, said the apex court’s directions would significantly enhance transparency in the SIR process and protect the voting rights of millions.
“The Court has ordered that machine-readable electoral rolls be made available - in line with one of the central demands of Rahul ji’s press conference,†he said in a post on X.
The Supreme Court also directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to swiftly publish details of the 65 lakh names deleted during the SIR in Bihar. Venugopal termed this a crucial step in “bringing much-needed transparency†to the exercise.
In a move welcomed by the Congress, the court also directed the ECI to specifically add the Aadhaar Card to its list of 11 documents, which have been specified as acceptable documents. On this, Venugopal stressed that in a state like Bihar, Aadhaar is “the most widely held document by the poor and marginalised,†making its inclusion vital for preventing disenfranchisement.
Calling the verdict “an important first step†in the battle against what he described as the “draconian and disastrous SIR process,†Venugopal accused the poll panel of “malpractices and complicity in vote rigging.†He vowed that the opposition’s campaign to expose these issues would continue “with renewed vigour.â€
The Congress and other opposition parties have repeatedly attacked the ECI over the SIR in Bihar, alleging large-scale and arbitrary deletions of voters, particularly from weaker sections of society. The SIR, which is meant to clean up electoral rolls, became a flashpoint in the state after reports of mass deletions emerged last month.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an observer, I'm glad the SC intervened. Electoral transparency is crucial for any democracy. The 65 lakh deletions seemed suspiciously high - hope this ruling ensures fair elections in Bihar.
While I support transparency, the Congress shouldn't act like saints. All parties manipulate voter lists when they get the chance. The system needs complete reform, not just selective outrage.
This is a big relief for my relatives in Bihar! Many villagers were worried their names got deleted arbitrarily. Aadhaar inclusion makes sense - it's the only document most daily wage workers have. SC did the right thing ðŸ‘
The EC needs to regain public trust. Such massive deletions without proper verification shakes faith in our electoral process. Hope this ruling sets a precedent for other states too.
Good decision but implementation is key. Will the EC actually follow through properly? Bihar's elections are always messy - need strict monitoring to prevent last-minute manipulations.
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