Bihar SIR: Claims, objections allowed after Sep 1 but only post-finalisation of roll, EC tells SC

The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the Election Commission of India’s submission that claims and objections associated with the Bihar draft electoral roll will be accepted even after the September 1 deadline, though such applications will be considered only after the roll’s finalisation.

The Commission further clarified that claims, objections and corrections may be filed until the last date of nomination for elections.

After recording the submission, the apex court did not pass any order to extend the September 1 deadline.

It observed instead that confusion surrounding the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was “largely a trust issue” and asked political parties to “activate themselves” to build confidence among voters.

The court also directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to issue instructions to all district legal services authorities to depute or notify para-legal volunteers who can assist voters and political parties in filing claims, objections and corrections through online submission.