Voters excluded from Bihar electoral-list to get free legal aid
What's the story
The Supreme Court has ordered free legal aid for those excluded from Bihar's final voters' list. The court directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to ensure paralegal volunteers and legal aid counsels are available to assist in filing appeals. The bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, emphasized the need for immediate communication to District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) due to time constraints in filing appeals.
Legal assistance
DLSAs instructed to update contact details of paralegal volunteers
The court has asked DLSAs to immediately update contact details of paralegal volunteers in each village. These volunteers will inform excluded persons about their right to appeal and assist in drafting appeals. The bench clarified that this order applies even to those whose names were not on the draft list.
ECI's defense
ECI denies illegal exclusions, accuses petitioners of false affidavits
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission of India (ECI), refuted claims of illegal exclusion during the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. He clarified that a person, whose name was deleted from the final list, wasn't on the draft list, as they didn't submit an enumeration form. Dwivedi accused petitioners of filing false affidavits and urged them to help affected parties file appeals within a five-day window.
Affidavit concerns
Court displeased over affidavit handling by Bhushan
The court expressed its displeasure over Advocate Prashant Bhushan handing over an affidavit without proper verification. Justice Kant and Justice Bagchi stressed the need for more responsibility in document handling. Bhushan defended himself by saying that a responsible person handed him the affidavit and suggested verifying its authenticity through the Legal Service Authority.
Legal assurance
Justice Kant assures prompt decision on filed appeals
Justice Kant reiterated that aggrieved persons can avail appellate remedies with the help of free legal aid. He assured that if appeals are filed, they will be decided promptly. Following the publishing of the final electoral roll after the SIR, Bihar's electorate shrank by over 6%, with approximately 47 lakh net deletions.
Congress
Total of 7.42 crore voters in Bihar
The Congress, which has been against the SIR right before an election, has said that there were 7.72 crore registered voters during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, meaning that around 30 lakh persons who were registered to vote in those polls will not be able to vote in the upcoming elections. The chief election commissioner announced on Monday that "there are a total of 7.42 crore voters in Bihar, of which 3.92 crore are males and 3.5 crore are women."