The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred to January 13 the final hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several states, including Bihar.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which had listed the matter for hearing during the day, said the proceedings would resume on Tuesday. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing on behalf of the Election Commission, is expected to continue advancing his arguments.
Earlier, on January 6, the Election Commission told the bench that it has the constitutional power and competence to undertake a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The poll panel also asserted that it has a constitutional duty to ensure that no foreign nationals are enrolled as voters.
The petitions challenge the Election Commission’s decision to undertake the SIR exercise in multiple states, including Bihar, and raise important constitutional questions relating to the scope of the Commission’s powers, issues of citizenship, and the right to vote.
The court will hear further arguments in the matter on January 13.
