'Entire Exercise Will Be Set Aside If...': Supreme Court Tells Election Commission Over Bihar SIR Drive

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday cautioned the Election Commission of India that in case of any illegality, the entire special intensive revision of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar will be set aside. The Apex Court said that it was presuming the Election Commission of India, being a constitutional authority, was following the law during the exercise. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi fixed October 7 for hearing final arguments on validity of Bihar SIR while refusing to offer any "any piecemeal opinion" on the exercise."Our judgement in Bihar SIR will be applicable for Pan-India SIR," the bench said, clarifying it can't stop the poll panel from conducting the similar exercise for revision of electoral roll across

the country."We presume ECI, a constitutional authority, is following law and mandatory rules in Bihar SIR exercise... If we find any illegality in methodology adopted by ECI at any stage of Bihar SIR, entire exercise will be set aside," the bench said. The bench, however, allowed petitioners against the Bihar SIR exercise to also argue on the pan-India SIR on October 7.Meanwhile, the bench also issued notice on a plea seeking the recall of the September 8 order. The Supreme Court on September 8 had ordered the poll panel to include Aadhaar card as the 12th prescribed document in the Bihar SIR.

Asserting that it would not be proof of citizenship, the Supreme Court had said that the Election Commission can use Aadhaar card to establish the identity of a voter.

Earlier, there were 11 prescribed documents which electors have to submit with their enumeration forms. The bench had asked the panel to issue necessary directions to its officials present on the ground for the acceptance of Aadhaar as proof of identity during the SIR process.