Exclusion from Bihar voter roll won't affect citizenship: Poll body to top court
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to pause the electoral roll revision exercise in Bihar, but questioned its timing, coming months ahead of the Assembly elections.The top court also asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar, voter ID card, and ration card as valid documents during the verification drive. These are not included in the current 11-document list.Justifying its decision not to include Aadhaar, the election body said Aadhaar is merely proof of identity, and it cannot be accepted as a standalone document for SIR."Aadhaar does not help in screening the eligibility under Article 326. However, this is not to say that Aadhaar cannot be used to supplement other documents to prove eligibility. It is for this reason that the list is indicative and not exhaustive," the ECI affidavit said.The ECI has claimed that a large portion of the population already possesses one or more of the 11 enlisted documents.FORMS RECEIVED FROM 90% OF ELECTORSThe poll body said, as of July 18, enumeration forms from 90.12% of the 7.9 crore-strong electorate in Bihar have been collected. If deceased individuals and permanently shifted electors are considered, the SIR has effectively covered 94.68% of the electorate.The electors who are untraceable despite multiple visits by the BLOs constitute a mere 0.01% of the electorate. The last date for collection of forms is July 25.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
10 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bihar data released, next phase of revision to begin
The Election Commission of India will publish the draft electoral rolls for Bihar on August 1, marking the start of the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the poll body said on Sunday. Booth Level Officer (BLO) verify documents during the SIR drive. (HT File) These draft rolls will include the names of all electors who submitted duly filled enumeration forms during the verification phase held between June 24 and July 25. Following the publication, a one-month statutory window — from August 1 to September 1— will open for electors, political parties, and other stakeholders to file claims for inclusion and objections to wrongful exclusions or errors in the draft list. During this period, any discrepancies, duplications, or missing entries can be formally flagged using prescribed forms. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) will scrutinise all submissions and make necessary corrections. At the same time, these officers will review and take final decisions on the enumeration forms collected during the door-to-door phase. Once all objections and claims are processed and the 'health parameters' of the rolls are checked, the final electoral rolls will be published on September 30. The commission reiterated that no deletions will be made from the draft rolls without due process, including a formal notice and a speaking order by the ERO or AERO. 'As per Para 5(b) of SIR guidelines, NO NAME CAN BE DELETED from the draft list published on 1st August without notice and speaking order of the ERO/AERO,' according to an ECI note. The ECI on Sunday released a detailed note outlining the key findings from the recently concluded first phase of the SIR in Bihar. According to the Commission, over 7.24 crore voters — 91.69% of the state's 7.89 crore registered electors — submitted their Enumeration Forms during the month-long exercise. The remaining 8.31% included individuals who were either deceased, had shifted from their registered address, were found enrolled in multiple locations, or chose not to submit the form. Among the non-submitters, the commission identified 22 lakh (2.83%) voters as deceased, 36 lakh (4.59%) as not found at their address or permanently shifted, and 7 lakh (0.89%) as enrolled in more than one place. BLOs (block level officers) also reported that several electors had moved to other states or union territories and enrolled there, while others were unwilling to register or had not submitted the form by July 25. The Commission said that no name will be deleted from the draft rolls published on August 1 without proper legal procedure. As per Para 5(b) of the SIR guidelines, each deletion must be preceded by a formal notice and a speaking order from the relevant ERO or AERO. Voters who find their names missing from the draft rolls can appeal before the District Magistrate or the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. To make the process more accessible, the ECI is developing a standardised appeal format which will be made available for public use. The Commission also said that electors found enrolled at multiple locations will have their names retained in only one constituency. However, voters wrongly flagged as deceased, shifted, or duplicate may be added back during the Claims and Objections period. All such changes and verifications will be completed by the designated 243 EROs and 2,976 AEROs across Bihar, including 1,470 officers specially notified for the SIR on July 8. Responding to the ongoing political opposition to the SIR, a senior ECI official expressed surprise at the objections raised even before the publication of the draft list. 'ECI is not able to understand that when full one month period from 1 August till 1 September is available to point out wrongful inclusion or wrongful exclusion of any name, why are they creating such a big fuss now?' the official said. He further added, 'Why not ask their 1.6 lakh BLAs to submit claims and objections from 1 August till 1 September? Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per SIR orders?' This reaction came two days after MPs from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc staged a protest inside the Parliament complex, marking the fifth day of demonstrations against the SIR exercise in Bihar. Senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, led a march from the Gandhi statue on the premises to the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament. Carrying posters with the slogan 'SIR—Attack on Democracy,' the MPs tore and discarded them in a symbolic rejection of the process. The Commission noted that BLOs visited each household where an elector was listed in the voter roll as of June 24, with up to three visits made to ensure form collection. BLOs also held meetings with BLAs at the booth level, and political agents were allowed to submit up to 50 Enumeration Forms per day to ensure their full participation in the exercise. To include temporarily migrated voters from Bihar, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state reached out to CEOs of other states and union territories, requesting assistance in contacting migrant electors. In addition, the ECI released full-page advertisements in 246 newspapers across the country, with a combined circulation of 2.6 crore, to inform Bihari voters residing outside the state about the enumeration process. The ECI also reported significant digital participation. Over 16 lakh Enumeration Forms were filled online through the official portal or ECINet mobile app, while an additional 13 lakh forms were downloaded for manual submission — taking the total digital engagement to nearly 29 lakh forms. These forms could be submitted through family members or even via messaging platforms like WhatsApp to the concerned BLOs. Special attention was paid to urban voters, with enumeration camps set up in all 5,683 wards across 261 urban local bodies in Bihar. To complement this effort, more than 10.2 crore SMSes were sent during the enumeration phase — both to inform electors and to acknowledge receipt of their forms. The Commission also provided a portal link for voters to track the status of their submissions. 'Now that the process of distribution and collection of enumeration forms is over, the BLOs would be given training in the next couple of days to handle the process of claims/ objections. If any eligible elector wants to include his /her name , it would be done from August 1 to September 1. Besides, claims /objections could be given against any elector's name figuring in the rolls. Such electors would be given notice and only after hearing, a decision would be taken by the electoral registration officers (EROs). No names would be deleted without proper hearing,' said an officer in the state election department. A second official said that all BLOs will be given copies of the draft rolls on August 1. 'The draft rolls will also be given to representatives of recognised political parties and booth level agents of the parties... Electors can also check their names in the draft rolls online or by visiting booths,' the official said, requesting anonymity. During the claims and objection period, voters can also get any rectification done by filling up prescribed forms while any genuine voter who has not been included in the rolls could also get enrolled by filling up the prescribed forms and declaration, officials said.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Govt banks on panel's watch as dog menace deepens
Thiruvananthapuram: With over three lakh dog bite cases reported in a single year, the state govt has decided to retain the services of the committee headed by former high court judge Siri Jagan to process compensation claims from victims of stray dog attacks. Though the Supreme Court ruled in May 2024 that future compensation claims could be addressed by constitutional courts or other competent forums, it did not specify about the future of the existing mechanism in Kerala. As a result, when the committee paused its functioning citing a lack of clarity, public concerns mounted, especially with the state witnessing an alarming increase in dog bite cases. Data presented in the assembly paints a grim picture. In 2024 alone, 3,16,793 people sought treatment in govt hospitals after being bitten by dogs. It is suggested that the actual number could go over six lakh if those treated in private hospitals are also accounted for. Thiruvananthapuram district leads with 50,870 reported bite cases, followed by Kollam (37,618), Ernakulam (32,086) and Palakkad (31,303). Even hilly regions like Idukki (10,003) and Wayanad (5,719) have not been spared. The staggering stray dog population is at the heart of the issue. As per the latest available estimate presented in the assembly—based on the 2019 Livestock Census—Kerala is home to 2,89,986 stray dogs. That's nearly one stray dog for every 12 people in the state. The Siri Jagan committee was originally constituted to streamline compensation for victims and ensure humane responses to the stray dog crisis. Animal welfare groups have long warned that unchecked growth in the stray population, combined with inadequate sterilisation efforts and poor waste management, has created a situation in which both people and animals are at risk. The continuation of the committee offers some relief to victims, but pressure is mounting for lasting solutions and not just post-incident payouts. There have been calls for bold legislative interventions. In a detailed social media post, bureaucrat N Prasanth argued that Kerala can enact laws suited to its growing public safety crisis as animal welfare is a subject under the concurrent list of the Constitution. He suggested that the state could bring in targeted legislation such as a 'Kerala Public Safety and Aggressive Animals Regulation Act', which would allow for the classification and control of dangerous animals, including aggressive stray dogs. He also highlighted legal provisions available under Section 13 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the 1967 Kerala Prevention and Control of Animal Diseases Act, which, if properly notified and clarified, can empower authorities to cull rabies-suspected or violent animals in hotspot zones.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Why creating a big fuss now: Election Commission says draft voter list not final
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday raised sharp questions over the ongoing controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, clarifying that the draft voters' list to be published on August 1 is not the final a strongly-worded statement, the EC said that a full month from August 1 to September 1 will be available for eligible citizens to file claims and objections, and ensure any wrongful inclusions or exclusions are corrected. The final list will be published on September poll panel questioned the motive behind the uproar, saying, "Why are they creating such a big fuss now?" when the process is still ongoing. As part of the first phase of SIR, which ended on July 25, enumeration forms were received from 7.24 crore voters — representing 91.69% of Bihar's electorate. During this period, booth-level officers found that around 36 lakh electors had either permanently shifted or were untraceable. Additionally, seven lakh voters were discovered to be registered at multiple EC clarified that the status of these voters will be scrutinised and finalised by August 1, but stressed that "genuine electors can still be added back to electoral rolls during the Claims and Objection period from August 1 to September 1." Names appearing at multiple places will be retained at only one to political allegations, the EC asked, "Why not ask their 1.6 lakh booth-level agents to submit claims and objections from August 1 till September 1?" It emphasised that all parties are free to check the process on the ground through their own poll body further asked, "Why are some people trying to give the impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per Special Intensive Revision orders?"Opposition parties in Bihar have alleged that the revision process could disenfranchise crores of voters due to documentation issues, and claimed it may benefit the ruling BJP through targeted exclusion of opposition such concerns, the EC maintained that the goal of the SIR is to ensure full participation of all electors and political parties. It noted that the number of booth-level agents (BLAs) increased by 16 per cent during the SIR phase, and added that "special efforts" are being made to ensure that no eligible voter in Bihar is left behind.- EndsWith inputs from InMust Watch
