ECI terms allegations of Muslim voter exclusion in Bihar as 'communal', defends revision process
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that allegations of disproportionate exclusion of Muslim voters from the electoral rolls in Bihar were “communal” and unfounded. The Commission defended the accuracy of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and maintained that the revision process adhered to all legal and procedural standards.
In its affidavit filed before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, the ECI refuted claims made by petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and political activist Yogendra Yadav, who alleged that Muslims were disproportionately removed from the electoral rolls during the revision process.
According to the petitioners, 25% of the 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft roll and 34% of the 3.66 lakh voters ultimately deleted were identified as Muslims, based on name-recognition software. The ECI, however, contested both the methodology and the intent behind such claims.
“The Petitioners have sought to allege disproportionate exclusion of Muslims… This is based on some software for name recognition, whose authenticity, accuracy or appropriateness cannot be commented upon,” the ECI stated in its affidavit. “This communal approach is to be deprecated. Electoral Rolls database does not capture any information on the religion of any elector.”
The ECI also highlighted the limited engagement from political parties and civil society actors during the SIR process, despite opportunities for public participation and correction.
“Finalisation of the electoral roll involves an interplay of all stakeholders. While it is the duty of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to finalise the roll, political parties and electors are equally responsible for ensuring accuracy and inclusiveness,” the affidavit noted.
The Commission pointed out that over 90,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were deployed, and multiple house-to-house (H2H) verification visits were carried out. It added that all directions from the Supreme Court were followed, and data related to inclusions and deletions were uploaded online.
Despite this, the Commission noted that the number of objections and correction applications received was minimal, suggesting that the revision exercise was comprehensive and accurate.
During the hearing, the petitioners requested the Court to direct the ECI to publish the names of those added or deleted from the final voters’ list. The Court took note of the Commission’s assurance that the names would be published and stated that it expected full compliance.
“We have no doubt that they will fulfil their responsibility… They are bound to publish. We are not closing the matter,” the bench observed.
Earlier, the Court had noted discrepancies between Bihar’s adult population and the number of registered voters, citing a 107% mismatch, which led to its approval of the SIR.
The matter remains under judicial consideration.
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Belagavi youth’s murder case projected as road accident, cracked in Uttara Kannada; Three arrested
Karwar: Uttara Kannada police have cracked a murder case in which a Belagavi youth was killed and his body burnt inside a car to make it appear like a road accident.
Addressing a press meet in the city, Superintendent of Police Deepan M.N. said three accused from Old Hubballi have been arrested in connection with the case. The crime was a pre-planned act driven by personal enmity, he said.
The case came to light on April 8 morning when a car (KA-04/MJ-8996) was found completely burnt in a roadside ditch near Talekumbri bus stand in Yellapur. Only charred human remains were found inside the vehicle. Initially, it was suspected to be an accident caused by overspeeding, and a case was registered at Yellapur police station based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s father, Jagannath Dhapale.
However, the father later expressed suspicion that his son’s death was not accidental, prompting a detailed investigation.
Taking the matter seriously, two special teams were formed under the leadership of Yellapur Inspector Ramesh Hanapur. On analysing technical evidence and CCTV footage, police found that it was a planned murder.
The accused have been identified as Abdul Raheem Basheer Ahmed Mujawar (32), Maulasab Bavahan Wada (36) and Dadapeer alias Aftab Mehboob Saab Balasangi (22), all chicken traders from Old Hubballi.
Police have seized the car used in the crime along with two scooters. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
Investigations revealed that the accused killed Nitesh Dhapale due to personal enmity and later set the car on fire along with the body to project it as an accident.
SP Deepan M.N. appreciated the efforts of Inspector Ramesh Hanapur, PSIs Rajashekhar Vandali and Siddappa Gudi, and the entire team for solving the complex case.
