Is the SC's Interim Ruling on SIR a Victory for Democracy?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Tejashwi Yadav supports the Supreme Court's interim ruling.
- The ruling mandates the Election Commission to disclose voter information.
- It addresses concerns over voter list inaccuracies.
- The outcome is attributed to the united efforts of opposition parties.
- The Grand Alliance plans a Voter Rights Yatra.
Patna, Aug 14 (NationPress) RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav expressed his support for the Supreme Court’s interim ruling on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, deeming it "a triumph for the Constitution, democracy, and the solidarity of Bihar’s citizens."
Tejashwi noted that the highest court acknowledged the opposition's persistent requests, instructing the Election Commission to release booth-wise records of all voters - exceeding 65 lakh - whose names were expunged from Bihar’s electoral lists.
This data encompasses information on deceased, transferred, untraceable, and duplicate voters, in addition to Aadhaar card details.
The court mandated the EC to publish these names on its website and to issue public announcements.
“This ruling has unveiled how the Election Commission, swayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, unjustly removed names from the voter registry and withheld information,” Tejashwi asserted.
“The BJP must recognize that in a democracy, not everything can operate according to the desires of just two individuals,” he remarked.
Recalling that the opposition raised this matter on June 27, Tejashwi accused the BJP of lacking faith in democratic norms.
He attributed this positive outcome to the collaborative efforts of opposition parties and expressed appreciation towards leaders from Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI(M), TMC, DMK, Shiv Sena, NCP (Sharad Pawar), JMM, VIP, among others.
Tejashwi commended activists and legal teams, including Yogendra Yadav, for their contributions to the legal struggle, thanking prominent figures such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, D. Raja, Dipankar Bhattacharya, Hemant Soren, M.A. Baby, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mukesh Sahani for their solidarity in this campaign.
“The order has laid bare the operational truths of the EC. We are closely observing which officials performed what actions, and we will continue to reveal such misconduct,” Tejashwi stated.
He recalled that when the opposition pointed out instances of multiple voter identification cards tied to BJP and JD(U) officials—including Deputy CM Vijay Sinha, MP Veena Devi, MLC Dinesh Singh, the Muzaffarpur Mayor, and others—the EC kept silent.
Tejashwi alleged that the EC’s actions were politically motivated to favor the NDA. He forecasted a significant defeat for the ruling coalition in the forthcoming elections.
He referenced cases where living voters, including individuals from Raghopur, appeared before the Supreme Court to dispute their wrongful designation as deceased.
“Even Rahul Gandhi met voters incorrectly labeled as dead who were alive,” he claimed, accusing the EC of attempting to undermine democracy.
He also criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that the narrative surrounding infiltrators had crumbled as the EC’s affidavit did not mention any infiltrators, apart from a note on infiltration from Gujarat.
Tejashwi highlighted the case of the BJP’s Bihar in-charge Bhikhu Bhai Dalsania, whose name was found in the Patna voter registry despite having cast his vote in Gandhinagar during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Tejashwi revealed that starting from August 17, Rahul Gandhi and leaders of the Grand Alliance will embark on a Voter Rights Yatra from Rohtas to inform the public about the realities.