New Delhi, 15 Sept

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would not stop the Election Commission from conducting special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, but warned it would scrap the Bihar exercise if any illegality is detected.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed 7 October for final arguments on pleas challenging the Bihar SIR. It said its ruling in the case would have pan-India implications.

“The Election Commission, being a constitutional authority, is presumed to follow the law. But if we find illegality in Bihar, the entire exercise will be set aside,” the bench said.

Petitioners, including political parties and NGOs, argued that the poll panel was violating its own rules, lacked transparency, and was wrongly allowing Aadhaar as a supporting document. On 8 September, the apex court had permitted Aadhaar to be used as a 12th ID document, while clarifying it is not proof of citizenship.

The Bihar SIR, the first since 2003, has reduced the state’s voter count from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore, sparking opposition claims that the revision aims to deprive people of voting rights.

The EC has defended it as an effort to clean the rolls by removing duplicates, deceased voters, and illegal immigrants.