So far, at least five petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court, including those by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and others.The petitioners are seeking a direction to quash the ECI’s June 24, 2025 order initiating the SIR in Bihar.The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in a plea contended that the SIR violates Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.The NGO argued that the directive demands voters to prove their citizenship, and that of their parents excluding commonly used IDs like Aadhaar and ration cards. This, it said, disproportionately affects marginalized groups, including SCs, STs, and migrant workers.“The SIR shifts the burden of inclusion from the State to the citizen, with an impractically short timeline and no due process,” ADR stated.With state elections due in November 2025, ADR warned that over 3 crore voters could face disenfranchisement, especially those lacking documents due to poverty, migration, or absence from the 2003 rolls.The plea also noted that a Special Summary Revision (SSR) had already been conducted between October 2024 and January 2025, addressing voter list updates. The NGO called the SIR exercise unjustified, lacking transparency or legal basis.“There is no recorded reason for this sudden revision, making the directive arbitrary and liable to be struck down,” ADR said.
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