Challenge To Bihar Electoral Roll Revision : Live Updates From Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear today a bunch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's "Special Intensive Revision" of Electoral Rolls in Bihar.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi will hear the matters.
Petitions have been filed by the MPs Mahua Moitra (Trinamool Congress), Manoj Kumar Jha (Rashtriya Janata Dal), leaders of major opposition parties - KC Venugopal (Indian National Congress), Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party - SP), D Raja (Communist Part of India), Harinder Malik (Samajwadi Party. Arvind Sawant( Shiv Sena UBT), Sarfraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), Dipankar Bhattacharya ( Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam etc.
NGOs Association for Democratic Reforms, People's Union for Civil Liberties, and activist Yogendra Yadav are the other petitioners.
Alongside these petitions, a PIL seeking revision of voter rolls before every elections is also listed before the bench.
Follow this page for live updates.
Order:
The petitioners are not pressing for an interim stay at this stage as in any case the draft electoral roll is to be published only on August 1st 2025 and the matter is listed before the court prior to that on 28 July 2025.
Order:
Mr. Dwivedi submits that the list of 11 documents is not exhaustive as the order June indicates then it is our view that the Election Commission will also consider the following documents such as the Aadhar card, the EPIC voter ID card issued by the Election Commission, and ration card.
Order:
We are of the considered view that the matter needs hearing before the appropriate Court on 28th July 2025. Meanwhile the counter affidavit will be filed by the election commission within one week from today and the rejoinder if any will be filed before 28th July 2025.
Order: 3 points of challenge -
The power of the ECI to conduct the special intensive revision.
The procedure adopted by the ECI.
And the timeline for conducting the special intensive revision which is right before the Bihar assembly elections in November.
Order: Dwivedi would other on the other hand argue that the last intensive revision took place in 2003 and now it is required under article 326 and section 21(3) of the representation act red with the rules
Order: the petitioners would argue that in the exercise which has been undertaken by the eci in its order dated 24 June 2025 which is the special intensive revision of electoral roll apparently under Section 21 subsection 3 of the representation of people Act 1950 is not only violative of fundamental rights of the voters under Articles 14 21 and Article 324 325 and 326 of the Constitution but is also validity of the provisions of representation of people Act 1950 and the rules framed their in particularly the registration of electors Rules, 1960
Order:
An important question has been raised in these bunch of petitions before this court which goes to the very root of functioning of a republic that is our country. The question is of the right to vote.
Dwivedi: We will not accept ration card.
Sankarnarayanan: just 20 minutes ago he was arguing that the list is not exhaustive and people can give whatever documents they want.
Singhvi: that will have to be mentioned in the order. it carries different weight from the court.
J Dhulia: once you have said it is not exhaustive you have to. Aadhar is mentioned in the statute and voter ID card issued by you.
Singhvi: Aadhar card should be accepted. There is 87% coverage. EC voter ID card should be accepted and third is ration card.