Former civil servants raise alarm over Bihar electoral roll revision, warn of mass disenfranchisement

By Jag Jivan

A group of 93 former civil servants, under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), has issued a scathing open statement condemning the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, labeling it an “assault on the very foundations of our democracy.” The statement, signed by prominent figures including K. Sujatha Rao, Satwant Reddy, Vijaya Latha Reddy, Julio Ribeiro, and Aruna Roy, accuses the ECI of implementing a process that risks disenfranchising millions, particularly the poor and marginalized, ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.

The CCG, a collective of retired All India and Central Services officers with no political affiliations, expressed deep concern over the SIR’s stringent documentation requirements, which they argue unfairly burden voters to prove their citizenship. “The assault is an insidious one where the purported attempt to clean up and sanitise the electoral rolls is likely to end up disenfranchising a very large segment of the voting population, particularly the poor and the marginalised, who possess little or no official documentation as proof of their citizenship,” the statement reads.

Historically, the ECI has adopted a liberal and inclusive approach to voter registration, presuming citizenship unless disputed and prioritizing inclusion, especially for those in remote areas or with limited access to documents. The CCG criticizes the SIR for reversing this approach, placing the onus on individuals to provide proof of citizenship, a requirement they deem particularly burdensome for Bihar’s impoverished and migratory population. The statement highlights the exclusion of common identifiers like Aadhaar and ration cards, and the mandatory provision of parental identity documents, as measures that could exclude millions from the electoral process.

The group further questions the ECI’s decision to privilege the 2003 electoral roll, exempting those listed in it from furnishing additional documents, while requiring others to meet stringent new criteria. “Such privileging of the inclusions in the 2003 electoral rolls, over and above all electoral rolls published by the ECI in the two subsequent decades, is untenable, unjust and discriminatory,” the statement asserts.

The CCG alleges that the SIR effectively introduces the contested National Register of Citizens (NRC) “through the backdoor” by invalidating existing voter lists used as recently as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They warn that the process grants excessive discretionary powers to officials, potentially enabling corruption and arbitrary voter deletions. The tight timelines, inadequate infrastructure, and reported instances of fraud—such as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) forging voter forms en masse—further undermine the exercise’s credibility.

Citing media reports and a public hearing held in Patna on June 21, 2025, the CCG points to evidence of widespread malpractices, including forged signatures and the absence of acknowledgment receipts for voters. “Video evidence shows that voter forms have been filled up not by the voters but en masse by BLOs sitting in officially provided space, and signatures of thousands of those voters forged in an organised manner,” the statement notes, referencing investigations by journalist Ajit Anjum.

The CCG argues that the SIR’s flaws, coupled with its rapid and opaque implementation, “vitiates the entire SIR process and undermines those very constitutional processes that the ECI claims to be following.” They describe the exercise as “one of the biggest threats Indian democracy has faced” from an institution meant to uphold universal adult suffrage.

The group has appealed to the public to mobilize against the SIR and urged the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing challenges to the ECI’s notification, to address these concerns. Petitions filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms and activist Yogendra Yadav argue that the SIR violates fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution, citing its arbitrary nature and potential to disenfranchise voters. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear these pleas on August 12 and 13, 2025.

The ECI has defended the SIR, citing the need to eliminate ineligible voters and ensure the integrity of the electoral roll, particularly in light of rapid urbanization, migration, and concerns about illegal immigration in Bihar’s Seemanchal region. However, opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and RJD’s Manoj K. Jha, have criticized the process as opaque and prone to abuse, with only 14.18% of potential voters submitting forms by July 5, 2025, according to official data.

As the controversy intensifies, the CCG’s statement underscores the urgency of safeguarding India’s democratic principles. “We are addressing this open letter to ‘We the people’ so that public opinion is mobilised and there is pressure on the ECI to take corrective action,” the group concluded, invoking the national motto, Satyameva Jayate (Truth Alone Triumphs).

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