Fencing out the voter in Bihar’s poll roll preparation, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• The ECI initiated a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar in June 2025.
• Voters added post-2003 are required to revalidate their eligibility with fresh documentation.
• 11 specific documents are accepted, excluding widely held IDs like Aadhaar, ration card, and EPIC.
• The draft roll is due August 1, leaving just 30 days for corrections.
• The Supreme Court has intervened, asking ECI to "consider" additional documents, but without binding direction.
• Critics argue the process is opaque, hurried, and discriminatory, risking disenfranchisement of marginalised groups.

Detailed Insights:

• The SIR imposes disproportionate burdens on voters without clear justification, violating procedural fairness.
• The exclusion of Aadhaar, ration card, and even EPIC (issued by ECI) from accepted ID list is seen as arbitrary.
• Voters added post-2003 must re-establish citizenship, despite earlier inclusion and validation in past elections.
• This raises constitutional concerns under Article 14 (equality), Article 324 (ECI’s powers), and Article 326 (universal adult suffrage).
• The Supreme Court emphasized that electoral roll revision must ensure transparency and inclusion, and avoid exclusion by default.
• The burden of proof has shifted unfairly to voters, particularly affecting the socially and economically vulnerable.
• Legal experts stress that electoral legitimacy is tied not just to outcomes but to inclusive processes.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A targeted, large-scale update of electoral rolls to ensure accuracy ahead of elections.
• Electoral Roll Integrity: Ensuring that only eligible voters are included, without wrongful exclusions.
• Article 14: Guarantees equality before law and prohibits arbitrary state actions.
• Article 324: Grants ECI authority over elections, subject to constitutional limits.
• Article 326: Enshrines universal adult suffrage as a foundational electoral principle.