Supreme Court Order on Bihar Voter Roll Revision Validates Concerns Raised by CPI(ML) Leader Dipankar Bhattacharya

CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya highlights that the Supreme Court's interim order on Bihar's voter roll revision confirms concerns from civil society and opposition parties. The order mandates transparency regarding deleted voters.

The Supreme Court's interim order on Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has validated concerns raised by civil society and opposition parties, according to CPIML Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. He stated that the order addresses key issues about the drive's implementation. "Finally, we have an interim order from the apex court in Bihar's SIR case," Bhattacharya noted.

Earlier, Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed the Election Commission (EC) to disclose the names of 65 lakh voters removed from the list, along with reasons for their deletion. This decision aims to enhance transparency. The bench issued this order while hearing challenges against the EC's June 24 decision to conduct the SIR in Bihar.

Transparency and Accountability in Electoral Roll Revision

The interim order mandates that the EC must publicly disclose all deletions with specific reasons. This information should be accessible to all voters without being filtered through Booth Level Agents of political parties. Additionally, Aadhaar is accepted as a valid supporting document, Bhattacharya highlighted.

Bhattacharya, a petitioner seeking to annul the EC order, questioned the fate of 3.5 million migrant workers whose names were removed. He mentioned individuals like Mintu Paswan, who was mistakenly declared dead by the SIR, suggesting this could restore their electoral rights.

Addressing Errors and Ensuring Fairness

Bhattacharya urged the EC to rectify its mistakes by setting up grievance redressal camps at booth and block levels. He emphasised that most electors were unfairly penalised and stressed that those responsible for errors should be accountable. "The onus of correction should also be put on the perpetrators of error," he stated.

The Supreme Court is yet to decide on the legality of SIR. However, Bhattacharya pointed out that fairness, natural justice, and transparency are principles the EC had cited as guiding tenets for SIR in its affidavit filed before the court on July 21.

The scale of exclusion is significant, and time is limited for addressing these issues. Bhattacharya believes that correcting these errors is crucial for maintaining electoral integrity in Bihar.

With inputs from PTI