Claims, objections can be filed after September 1, says EC on Bihar SIR

The Election Commission (EC) on Monday (September 1) said that claims, objections and corrections in the draft electoral roll published during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar can be filed beyond September 1, adding that they would be considered after the electoral roll is finalised.

According to the June 24 schedule of the poll panel for the Bihar SIR, the deadline for filing claims and objections to the draft roll ends today, and the final electoral roll will be published on September 30.

SC on EC’s note

During the hearing, the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted that, according to the EC’s submission, claims and objections could be filed till the last date of nomination forms in each assembly constituency.

"As regards extension of time, a note submitted by the ECI says that filing of claims/objections or corrections is not barred after September 1. It is stated that the claims/objections/corrections can be submitted even after the deadline, that is, after September 1, and the same will be considered after the roll has been finalised," stated the bench as quoted by PTI.

"The process will continue until the last date of nominations and all inclusions/exclusions are integrated in the final roll. In light of this stand, let the claims/objections/corrections be continued to be filed,” it added.

The bench stated that political parties have the liberty to parties to submit their replies in response to the EC's note.

Also Read: Congress counters EC’s ‘no objection’ claim, says it lodged 89 lakh complaints on SIR

‘Deploy paralegal volunteers’

As for the confusion over the SIR in Bihar, the top court termed it as "largely a trust issue", stating that the state legal service authority would deploy paralegal volunteers who would assist individual voters and political parties in filling claims and objections to the draft roll, which was published on August 1.

The bench stated that a confidential report would be submitted by the paralegal volunteers to the concerned district judges' court, adding that the collated data of the state will be considered on September 8.

Also Read: As Rahul’s Voter Adhikar Yatra approaches climax, the real test begins now

‘Will disrupt schedule’

However, EC’s counsel, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, argued that the extension of timelines for filing claims and objections beyond September 1 would disrupt the entire schedule for finalisation of the electoral roll.

"The timelines have been fixed according to the rules, and a maximum time of thirty days has been provided for filing claims and objections," added Dwivedi.

He further stated that, as per official records, 99.5 per cent of the 7.24 crore electors featured in the draft electoral roll for Bihar had already submitted their eligibility documents for the SIR exercise.

"The exercise of verification of these documents is currently ongoing, and is scheduled to be completed by September 25, 2025, in accordance with the schedule provided in the SIR order dated June 24, 2025," he added.

Also Read: Rahul accuses BJP, RSS, EC of 'vote chori' in Bihar, vows to protect voting rights

EC refutes RJD’s claim

Refuting Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) claim of filing 36 claims through its booth-level agents, Dwivedi stated that it was "incorrect and misleading" and the correct position, records showed, was only 10.

"However, as is admitted in the IA (interlocutory application), all 36 claims have been accepted by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and are being processed accordingly," Dwivedi added. He pointed out that CPI (ML) filed 15 claims for inclusion and 103 objections for exclusion as of August 31.

(With agency inputs)