Bhushan: What will happen to the 7.24 crores? 12% not recommended by BLOs...
J Kant: Let's see how much manpower they have
Bhushan: 36000 forms per day have to be scrutinized, it's not possible. No recourse will be available
Dwivedi: ADR has not come forward with one voter...
Grover: I am in 2003 roll. Booth rationalization has led me to be deleted from both booths. There are so many actual details they have not thought through. People will fall through the cracks!
Dwivedi: Everybody must trust the EC. Let's do the exercise. Give us some time, we will give better picture that no one has been excluded
Grover: They need to issue a press release vis-a-vis the document. Given the fact that there is so much confusion on the ground. We need extended timeline which will give fairness on ground
J Kant: If political parties had realized responsibility...
Grover: Let the voter not suffer...voter is not reliant on political parties
Bhushan: One voter went saying he was declared dead...he went with 11 similar people...ERO said Aadhaar alone not sufficient. Aadhaar they did not accept for the 7 crore people...BLOs have already written recommended/not recommended on forms
J Kant: That we can clarify. Irrespective of recommendation, their names will continue in draft list
Dwivedi: not required, it's irrelevant.
"Let them submit their application forms, be it with Aadhaar card or matriculation certificates," Justice Kant said. Dwivedi suggested waiting for some more time so as to see how many more people are submitting forms. "Crores are filing documents, all bogus stories being [circulated]. Please wait for some time...repose some trust in EC,"he said.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, for the Association for Democratic Reforms, said that the legality of the exercise itself must be decided. He claimed that despite the Court's order, the Booth Level Officers were not accepting Aadhaar as a standalone document. Advocate Vrinda Grover, for an organisation of voters, said that even if Aadhaar card is submitted, the officers were insisting on any of the 11 documents specified in the SIR order.
Adv Vrinda Grover: This problem is beyond the 65 lakh people
J Kant: We are only surprised by inaction of political parties. After appointing BLAs, what are they doing?
Dwivedi: Leave it to ECI, we are doing it
Gopal S: in last elections, 9 lakh people chose NOTA in Bihar...if your lordships are saying political parties...
J Kant: Why there is a distance between people and local political persons?
Bhushan: one clarification would be that any aggrieved person can apply online, give only 1 document that is Aadhaar...the other documents they are seeking have less coverage...more than half people in Bihar don't have those documents...Aadhaar they have
J Kant: Let them first submit forms with Aadhaar and documents that they have. they must immediately submit application forms. If I have applied with Aadhaar today, but have matriculation certificate which I am not able to find out as of now...
Dwivedi: crores are filing documents, all bogus stories being [circulated]. Please wait for some time...repose some trust in EC.
Bhushan: major problem is - they are saying that anybody whose name is not in the draft roll now will have to file claim in Form 6. Form 6 is claim for inclusion of a fresh voter. Not for correction of entries. Further, they are saying though Form 6 just requires declaration and Aadhaar card, some addl documents out of the specified 11 required. This is one necessary clarification
Gopal S: EC is not accepting it standalone
J Kant: Why BLAs are not coming forward?
Prashant Bhushan: We have seen a small sample. They say 85000 have come forward. Everybody whose name has been deleted may not have been able to come forward. Many are migrant workers, temporarily outside state. Flood situation...
J Kant: BLAs are local persons. They can assist...
Bhushan: Biggest opposition party is RJD. They have BLAs in only half of constituencies...
Dwivedi: These parties have an alliance
Gopal S: Why should EC care about whether there's coalition or not?
Dwivedi: I am saying they would have their own BLAs...
J Kant: There can be more BLAs, Mr Bhushan.
Dwivedi submitted that over 2 lakh forms have been filed by new voters for inclusion in the list. None of the 12 recognised poliitcal parties in the State have given any objections. "They are only whipping up fear for their political interests," he said.
"It is the duty of the political parties to come forward and assist the Election Commission in completing this exercise. But they are not coopearting," Dwivedi said.
Dwivedi: MPs have filed, not political parties
Court asks which parties Singhvi is representing, one by one
Sibal clarifies that he is representing RJD MP Manoj Jha, not the party
J Kant (to Singhvi): Bhartiya Janata Party?
Sibal (laughs): Hopefully not!
Singhvi said that he was appearing in a petition jointly filed by the representatives INC, CPI(M), CPI(M-L) Liberation, CPI etc.