New Delhi, July 10 The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive being undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar, stating that the process is "completely constitutional."
However, the apex court also stressed the need for "checks and balances" to ensure fairness in a democratic setup.
BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha welcomed the court's remarks and told IANS, "The opposition has been trying to malign the Election Commission for the past few days, but today’s verdict has shown them the mirror."
He alleged that illegal immigration has deeply impacted Seemanchal districts such as Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj, and Purnia, where Aadhar card registration reportedly exceeds the population by 20-30 per cent.
"Who is promoting this Aadhaar card scam? And if there's political protection, it could only come from parties opposing the SIR drive," Sinha said, targeting the INDIA bloc.
He added that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supports illegal immigration for vote bank politics and expressed concern that the drive, if extended to Bengal, would further expose this nexus.
Senior Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, representing one of the petitioners, told IANS that the Supreme Court, after a marathon hearing, declined to issue any interim order but allowed the ECI to continue its work.
"The court observed that if the Election Commission wishes, it may consider Aadhaar, ration card, and voter ID card, apart from documents mentioned in the current format," he said.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 28, and the ECI has been directed to file a counter affidavit by July 21. Reacting to the court’s observation, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said that the concerns raised by Tejashwi Yadav have been vindicated.
“20 per cent of Biharis are migrant workers - how will they return to submit documents?” he questioned.
He also highlighted that the SC, in its prima facie opinion, suggested that the ECI consider documents like Aadhaar and ration cards for voter verification.
The verdict marks a key development in the politically charged debate over voter list integrity in poll-bound Bihar and is likely to intensify, given Supreme Court’s intervention and observations made on July 10.
--IANS
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