The Election Commission of India informed the Supreme Court that it will continue to accept claims and objections to the draft voter list beyond the September 1 deadline. Crucially, all submissions received before the final date for filing nominations will be considered and integrated into the definitive electoral roll. The Court took note of this assurance but refrained from formally extending the deadline.
Presiding over the matter, the Bench composed of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi documented the Commission’s position that the process remains open and that corrections—whether additions or deletions—submitted after September 1 will nonetheless be included in the final compilation of the register.
Concerns regarding the transparency of the exercise were not overlooked. The Bench highlighted that much of the discord surrounding the SIR appears rooted in a “trust issue,” and urged political parties to proactively engage at the grassroots level. Additionally, the Court requested that the Bihar State Legal Services Authority instruct district-level authorities to appoint para-legal volunteers—along with their contact details—by tomorrow noon.
These volunteers will assist voters and party agents in filing claims and corrections online, and will submit confidential reports to the district judge for collation.
The Election Commission further informed that of the estimated 65 lakh individuals removed from the draft electoral roll, only 33,326 individuals and an additional 25 claims submitted by political parties have so far sought inclusion following the Court’s August 22 directive. Simultaneously, 1,34,738 objections have been lodged for exclusion.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, remarked that the majority of filings have been objections to removal rather than efforts to secure inclusion. He further noted that approximately 99.5 percent of the 7.24 crore electors featured in the draft roll have filed their eligibility documents.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, arguing on behalf of the petitioners, asserted that Election Commission staff have failed to adhere to established protocols and that Booth Level Officials (BLOs) have, in some cases, refused to accept duly submitted forms. Meanwhile, counsel for the RJD highlighted the narrow window of merely nine days between the Court’s allowance of Aadhaar for inclusion purposes and the September 1 deadline.
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