RJD MP Manoj Jha has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) move to carry out a Special Deep Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
He has termed the process as “hasty, ill-timed and discriminatory”, warning that it could disenfranchise crores of voters, particularly targeting Muslim, Dalit and poor migrant communities.
According to RJD MP Manoj Jha, the EC's decision has come without consulting political parties and is being used to "exclude people under the guise of amendment". He said that about 4.74 crore of Bihar's 7.9 crore voters now have the burden of proving their citizenship, which is the state's obligation as per established legal principles.
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"Exclusion of Aadhaar - which has 90% coverage in Bihar - is clearly arbitrary,"- plea filed by Manoj Jha
The plea highlights the practical difficulties faced by the poor and illiterate in obtaining 11 documents mandated by the EC. These include birth certificates, passports, permanent residence certificates and government-issued identity cards, which are not possessed by the majority of people in Bihar. Aadhaar cards, MNREGA job cards and ration cards - which are widely available - are not specifically accepted by the EC.
RJD MP Manoj Jha emphasised that in states like Bihar, which have a large number of migrant workers and poor citizens, such a document-heavy process could lead to mass exclusion of people. He cited media reports such as The Indian Express and The Hindu, which have documented widespread confusion and complaints from villagers who only have Aadhaar.
He also questioned why commonly used documents such as Aadhaar card, PAN, driving licence, bank passbook and utility bills, which were accepted in the 2024 general elections, are now excluded from the list.
"Aadhaar and others were included in the list of acceptable documents in 2024. Why are they excluded now?" RJD MP Manoj Jha asked in his petition.
The petition further argued that the timeline for the amendment is too short and impractical, especially when the elections are approaching. It cites the Supreme Court judgment in Lal Babu Hussain vs Electoral Registration Officer, which said that deletion of voters' names must be done through a fair and reasonable process.
“The impugned order is discriminatory, unreasonable and manifestly arbitrary and violates Articles 14, 21, 325 and 326 of the Constitution,” - plea filed through advocate Fauzia Shakeel
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RJD MP Manoj Jha has called the ECI order of June 24, 2025 an instrument of “institutionalised disenfranchisement”. He is not the only one to challenge the order. Similar pleas have been filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), activist Yogendra Yadav and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, all raising serious concerns over the legality and fairness of the voter verification process in Bihar.
The petition is filed through Advocate-on-Record Fauzia Shakil.
