The Supreme Court is hearing allegations that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is being conducted in a fraudulent manner, with even the forms of dead individuals allegedly being filled out. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) filed a rejoinder to petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order for the SIR in Bihar. The ADR alleges that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are mass-uploading enumeration forms without the knowledge or consent of voters to meet unrealistic targets set by the ECI.

According to Live Law, many voters have reported that their forms were submitted online without them ever meeting with BLOs or signing documents. The ADR contends that this flawed process compromises the integrity of electoral rolls, potentially affecting millions of voters and undermining the democratic process. The situation has raised concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and the potential for electoral fraud, as voters express confusion and concern over the uploading of their details without their involvement.

The ECI has stated that electors who haven't submitted enumeration forms with supporting documents and whose names aren't on the draft rolls, which are due to be published on August 1st, risk being removed from the roll unless they file a claim for inclusion. The ADR argues that the SIR violates Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, as well as the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The ECI has defended the SIR, asserting it is necessary because of urban migration, demographic shifts, and outdated rolls that haven't undergone intensive revision in almost two decades. The ECI maintains it has plenary powers under Article 324 and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to conduct the exercise.

The Election Commission announced on Friday that 99.8% of voters in Bihar have been covered under the SIR exercise. According to the ECI, forms of more than 7.23 crore voters have been received and digitized, and their names will be published on August 1, 2025. As part of the clean-up, the ECI says that 2.2 million names have been marked as deceased, 700,000 voters were found registered in more than one place, and around 3.5 million people were either untraceable or had permanently moved away. Lists of voters who are dead, have migrated, or didn't submit forms were shared with 12 political parties on July 20, so they could check and raise objections before the draft roll is finalized.

The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi will hear the matter on July 28.