Office building in India in Nový Delhi. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
On Monday (July 21, 2025), the Election Commission (EC) assured the Supreme Court that the person would not cease to be a citizen only to be considered ineligible for registration in election roles as part of a special intensive revision (SIR), currently during the Bihar vote.
“According to SIR exercises, the individual’s citizenship will not be terminated because of the fact that it is considered ineligible for registration in election roles,” the EC said in the 88 -page honorary statement.
The election body responded to the accusation raised by the petitioner that Sir was “citizenship screening” and would lead to mass exclusion.
The EC stated that under the law and the Constitution, it was entrusted with the power to ask for evidence of citizenship for the “authorization of constitutional law”.
“The instructions issued for Sir are constitutional and, in order to maintain the purity of election roles … However, it is reiterated that the establishment of an uninvited someone pursuant to Article 326 (adult rights) does not lead to the abolition of citizenship,” the survey explained.
The honorary statement of the EC made it clear that voters who were already part of the existing election roles of 2025 would go in the proposal of the role of 1 August if they submitted their list, with or without documents.
Existing election roles were published in Bihar 7 January 2025 after a special summary revision of election roles.
“In the fabric, each voter is included in the election role of 2025, which is part of the role proposal, only when presenting the list for the list,” the honorary statement said.
Voters who were unable to submit their documents with documents in time to design a role had another opportunity to be included in the final role. “This statement is set for the next period of 31 data after the publication of the role proposal, ie until 1 September 2025,” EC explained.
During the period of receivables, electoral registration officials (EROS) will explore the form and documents provided after the publication of the role proposal. If ERO has any doubts about the eligibility of any voter (who submitted his documents or otherwise), he will ask the SUO MOTU inquiry and the announcement of voters issued, why his name should not be removed. ERO decides to include such voters in the final role on the basis of documentation, field question or otherwise.
The last role will be published on 30 September 2025.
“Even after the final role, new voters can be registered until the last date of nominations of the upcoming Bihar elections … Any concern about the huge exclusion is misleading and non -existent,” EC assured.
The EC also stated that voters whose names already mention in Bihar’s election roles in 2003, when the last intensive revision took place, were exempt from the document to prove their capacity. “They are only obliged to submit a partially filled form of enumeration together with the extract in 2003,” the honorary statement said.
Although the Supreme Court asked the EC to consider the inclusion of Aadhaar, voters’ IDs and ration cards in the list of 11 indicative documents for voter registration, EC said that for SIR purposes it cannot be accepted as “separate documents”. “Aadhaar is merely evidence of identity. The card itself bears the exclusion of liability that this is not evidence of citizenship,” an affidavit statement.
The body pointed out the “widespread release of false ration cards”, which makes the document untrustworthy.
As for the voters of the PHOTOINTAITIC CARD (EPIC), EC justified that they were prepared on the basis of election roles. “Given that the election role itself is revised de Novo, the production of epics will be unnecessary,” the honorary statement said.
Published – July 22, 2025 12:08 PM
