Citing media reports by senior journalists, ADR submitted that enumeration forms were being filled in the absence of voters. “Messages are being sent to individuals stating that their forms have been filled, even though they had no participation in the process. In some cases, even deceased individuals have been marked as having submitted forms,” it said.The rejoinder also noted the lack of clear procedures for the scrutiny of forms and verification of documents. “The SIR order does not prescribe any mechanism for document verification, thereby conferring excessive and unchecked discretionary powers upon Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), risking mass disenfranchisement,” ADR submitted.It further slammed the EC’s statistics, asserting that figures related to coverage and form submission were misleading. “Inclusion in the draft roll is meaningless without valid document submission. The EC has not provided any sound justification for excluding Aadhaar, EPIC, and ration cards from the list of accepted documents,” the NGO added.Apart from ADR, the petitioners in the case include the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, and Mujahid Alam.The petitioners have sought the quashing of the EC’s order dated June 24, 2025, which initiated the SIR process in Bihar.“The said order is violative of Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960,” the plea stated.”If not set aside, the SIR order could arbitrarily disenfranchise lakhs of eligible voters without due process, thereby undermining free and fair elections—an essential part of the Constitution’s basic structure,” ADR’s petition submitted.
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