Bihar SIR Controversy: 60 Lakh Voters Deleted? | Supreme Court, EC Face-Off | The Awaaz India

Author: Shubham Pathak
Source: The Awaaz India

1. Introduction – What is SIR?

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an emergency campaign by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clean up voter rolls. In Bihar, it was notified on 24 June 2025, marking the first statewide voter list verification in 22 years.

2. Alarming Figures & Stats

- Phase 1 has covered 98.01% of electors; by 23 July, 7.17 crore forms were received and digitized.
- About 52.3 lakh voters were not found at their registered addresses, which includes:
-- ~18‑20 lakh deceased voters
-- ~26‑28 lakh who shifted residence
-- ~7‑7.5 lakh duplicate entries
-- ~1‑1.1 lakh untraceable or unknown entries
- Preliminary reports claim that up to 60.5 lakh names could be deleted.

3. Document Chaos – Aadhaar, Voter ID & Ration Card Issues

Initially, the EC declared that only 11 specific documents were valid for verification, excluding Aadhaar, EPIC, and Ration Card. This created massive hurdles for migrants, the poor, and the landless. But on 10 July, the Supreme Court directed the EC to accept these common IDs, noting that not everyone possesses rare documentation. However, the SC did not stay the SIR process.

4. Political Reactions & Allegations

The opposition labeled SIR as anti-people and unconstitutional.

“An attempt to remove poor voters from democracy”—Brinda Karat (CPI‑M)

TMC staged a protest in Parliament, accusing the EC of acting like a BJP agent.

5. Supreme Court PIL & Next Hearing

Civil rights groups like Association for Democratic Reforms, Yogendra Yadav, Mahua Moitra, and others filed a PIL against SIR. The next hearing is scheduled for 28 July 2025.

6. EC’s Stand – Why SIR is Needed?

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said:

“SIR is lawful, constitutional, and executed under Article 326 and Sections 16, 19, 21 of the RP Act.”

The EC’s aim: A clean, credible, and updated voter list.

7. Step-by-Step Timeline

• 24 June 2025 – SIR Notification issued
• 25 July 2025 – Final date for Enumeration Forms
• 1 August 2025 – Draft voter list to be published
• Until 1 September 2025 – Claim-Objection window open
• 28 July 2025 – Next Supreme Court hearing

8. Democracy at Risk – Concerns & Impact

- Are eligible voters being unfairly removed?
- Marginalized communities like migrants and the poor are most affected
- Implications for digital and mobile voting reforms
- Other Indian states may adopt similar revisions

9. Conclusion

The SIR process in Bihar has sparked a nationwide debate on electoral integrity. Removing millions of names from the voter list can impact future election outcomes. Every eligible voter must stay informed and proactive to protect their rights.
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]]> Shubham Pathak

Bihar's SIR voter list cleanup sparked national debate — with 60 lakh names marked for deletion, political protests, and Supreme Court scrutiny raise alarm for democratic rights in India.