What is SIR? Bihar’s Special Voter List Verification Explained
The Election Commission of India (ECI) launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar on July 1, 2025. Under this process, every voter had to re-verify their details by submitting Form-6 along with strict proof of citizenship and residence. Surprisingly, Aadhaar, voter ID (EPIC), and ration cards were not accepted as valid documents to prove eligibility.
Legal Basis: What Gives ECI Power to Revise Voter Lists?
SIR is backed by:
- Article 326 of the Indian Constitution – guarantees adult suffrage
- Section 16 & 19, RP Act 1950 – defines disqualification (non-citizens) and eligibility (18+ age, ordinary residence)
- Section 62, RP Act 1951 – outlines who can vote and under what conditions
- Section 21, RP Act 1950 – empowers the ECI to revise voter rolls
The ECI claims it is assessing eligibility, not determining citizenship—a power reserved for the Home Ministry.
Current Status: 99.8% Covered, 64 Lakh Face Deletion
- 7.23 crore forms verified out of 7.89 crore voters
- 60–64 lakh voters flagged for deletion:
- ~22 lakh deceased
- ~7 lakh duplicates
- ~35 lakh migrated/untraceable
- 1.2 lakh missing form submissions
- Political parties received draft deletion lists on July 20
- Draft electoral roll to be released on August 1
- Objections accepted till September 1
Controversy: Is Bihar’s SIR a Backdoor NRC?
- Opposition leaders (Tejashwi Yadav, Congress, Left parties) have criticized SIR as a “mini-NRC” targeting Muslims, Dalits, and migrants
- INDIA Bloc protested in Parliament, alleging voter suppression ahead of Bihar Assembly elections
- ECI insists the goal is to remove “fake, dead, and foreign” voters
- Critics say poor and uneducated citizens are unfairly burdened to “prove” citizenship
What Supreme Court Said on SIR
- Petitions filed by ADR and activists challenge SIR’s legality and exclusion of Aadhaar/voter ID
- SC observed that ECI has no power to determine citizenship, only to verify voter eligibility
- Next hearing: July 28, 2025
Key Legal & Political Questions
| Issue | Context |
|---|---|
| Is the right to vote fundamental or statutory? | Constitutional under Article 326, but regulated by law (RP Acts) |
| Can ECI assess citizenship? | Only for voter eligibility, not for declaring someone a non-citizen |
| Is the SIR timeline fair? | Critics call the one-month window unfair during monsoon season |
Conclusion: Is Bihar’s Voter Purge Legal or Political?
The Bihar SIR may be the largest electoral cleanup in recent years, but it raises serious concerns about voter disenfranchisement, documentation barriers, and blurred lines between electoral verification and citizenship policing. The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on July 28 will be pivotal in deciding the fate of 64 lakh voters—and possibly, the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections.
