Bihar SIR: 99.5% Electors Submitted Documents, EC Tells SC Warns Against Extending Sept 1 Deadline For Claims

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Election Commission of India on Monday said to the Supreme Court that any extension of the September 1 deadline to file claims to the draft list published by the EC would disrupt the SIR exercis and finalisation of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

The EC, while making its plea ahead of a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, said that they are issuing notices within 7 days to electors whose documents are incomplete and it is continuing the exercise.

The apex poll conducting body also mentioned that a total of 99.5 percent of electors of 2.74 crore in draft electoral rolls in Bihar SIR have filed eligibility documents till now.

The poll panel also countered RJD's claims of having filed 36 claims, saying the party had filed only 10 such claims.

Appearing for EC, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi said, as quoted by PTI, "Any extension of deadline will lead to disruption of the entire exercise and finalisation of final electoral roll."

Dwivedi further told the court the 36 claims that RJD party mentioned in its petition had also been "duly accepted" and added most claims and objections filed by political parties, the EC said, were for exclusion, not inclusion, of names from voter rolls.

What the bench said:

While terming the confusion over the Bihar SIR as“largely trust issue”, the Supreme Court bench directed the state legal service authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to assist individual voters and political parties in filling claims and objections to the draft roll, which was published on August 1.

It also directed the paralegal volunteers to file confidential reports with the district judges concerned, and the same would be considered on September 8.

Earlier, RJD and AIMIM have sought extension of the deadline to file claims and objections in the poll revision exercis in poll-bound Bihar.

The deadline for filing claims and objections for inclusion or exclusion of elector names from the draft roll ended on Monday.

With agency inputs.

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