Abstract
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an essential method for updating electoral records and guaranteeing democratic inclusivity, especially in Bihar. But others who are less fortunate- like women, minorities, migrant workers, and economically disadvantaged groups- frequently encounter disproportionate legal and administrative barriers while trying to obtain its benefits the difficulties include systematic exclusion from the rolls, lack of residence verification, bureaucratic holds-ups, and low awareness. According to recent reports, Bihar’s marginalised populations in regions like Kishanganj were disproportionately affected when thousands of eligible voters were disenfranchised because of documentation deficiencies and verification backlogs. In response to petitioners, the Supreme Court stressed the need for more easily accessible identification methods, such as Aadhaar and ration card, and ordered the Election Commission to provide the names of voters who were removed. The continued existence of legal obstacles that prevent equal political participation is shown by these court actions. Marginalised groups face obstacles in the justice delivery system outside of the electoral setting. Prohibitive enrolment fees levied by state bar councils have recently drawn criticism from the Supreme Court for preventing economically disadvantaged law graduates – many of whom belong to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and backward classes – from pursuing careers in the legal field. In another opinion, the emphasised the significance of taking socioeconomic disadvantage into account when addressing procedural delays in litigation, reiterating its commitment to substantive justice.
This study investigates these hurdles through the lenses of electoral participation and legal representation, advocating for changes in legal aid, community legal education, streamlined document requirements, and institutional accountability. By examining statutory provisions, constitutional safeguards, and judicial developments, the report suggests comprehensive solutions to ensure that SIR and related legal procedures actually achieve fairness, justice, and empowerment for India’s vulnerable communities.
Keywords – Special Intensive Revision (SIR); Electoral Rolls; Marginalised Communities; Legal Barriers; Access to Justice; Judicial Remedies; Bihar
Introduction
The foundation of any constitutional democracy is free and fair elections, and the accuracy of the electoral roll is a key factor in the legitimacy of this process. Using a combination of documentary examination and door-to-door verification, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) procedure is an essential tool for updating voter lists in India. The Representation of the People Act,1950 and Article 324 of the constitution give the authority to register new voters, remove entries that are ineligible, and guarantee that all eligible citizens have an equal chance to take part in the electoral process.
SIR is required because of India’s dynamic socioeconomic environment, which disproportionality impacts disadvantaged populations due to high internal migration, urbanisation, illiteracy, bureaucratic challenges. In addition to excluding vulnerable groups, especially women, migrant workers, minorities, and those without official paperwork, electoral rolls run the risk of being inflated by the names of voters who have moved, died or registered twice if they are not regularly updated. Because it ensures inclusivity and election integrity, SIR is a democratic safeguard rather than just an administrative upgrade.
Despite SIRs national significance, the state of Bihar was the first to adopt it on a major scale in 2025, making it a test site for the “promise and risks of electoral roll revision”.
SIR in Bihar: The Intersection of Voter Exclusion and Electoral Integrity
Before its Assembly elections in November 2025, Bihar became the first state in India to adopt the SIR of electoral rolls in June 2025. The scale and significance of this modificance are especially noteworthy, considering the states most recent SIR exercise was carried out in 2003, more than 20 years ago. The verdict was supported by the Election Commission of India ECI, which cited numerous errors in the voter registers, such as names of deceased people, duplicate entries, and who had moved permanently.
Important Results of the SIR in Bihar
The SIRs preliminary findings resulted in the massive removal of over 65 lakh names from electoral records of Bihar. About 21lakh of these were determined to be deceased, 31 – 36lakh to have migrated outside the state, 7lakh to be duplicates, and 1 lakh to be untraceable. The total number of voters decreased from roughly 7.9 crore electors to 7.24 crore as a result. The ECI emphasised these exclusions as a move to ensure, but the extent of the deletions caused political controversy and considerable public concern.
Judicial and Legal advancement
The extensive exclusion soon came under legal scrutiny. The Supreme Court of India responded to petitions by ordering the ECI to publish booth-wise data of all 65 lakh deletions, along with reasons for removal. This was done to ensure transparency and give resentful citizens the opportunity to lodge claims or complaints. Crucially, the court also made it clear that ration cards and Aadhaar cards cannot be accepted as conclusive proof of residence, reaffirming that verification had to be concluded in accordance with the Representation of the Act, 1950 and need legal criteria.
The Impact on Political and Society
Political reactions to the SIR process in Bihar were fierce. Criticising the modification as the “biggest attack on the constitution,” opposition parties including the CPI-ML and Indian National Congress claimed that unfairly singled out disadvantaged groups, such as Dalits, minorities, migrant labourers, and economically weaker citizen. Rahul Gandhi, a congress leader, even organised a ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ around Bihar to rally people against the issue of voter disenfranchisement. However, NDA allies applauded the deletions as an essential measure to purge invalid and fraudulent voters from the voting records, enhancing democratic legitimacy.
Effect on disenfranchised populations
SIR exercises have disproportionately affected ‘marginalised communities. Among the biggest categories excluded were migrant labourers, who frequently lacked proof communities. It was challenging for people from economically disadvantaged groups and those who were also more likely to be deleted, particularly widows and unmarried women without property records. The ‘constitutional guarantee of universal adult suffrage under article 14’ are seriously called into doubt by these exclusions.
Research Methodology
The legal framework of Special Intensive Revision is examined in this study using a doctrinal legal research approach, which draws on legislative texts, constitutional provisions, and court decisions. Bihar’s 2025 SIR exercise is examined using a case study method, with main sources including Supreme Court rulings, government announcements, and official Election Commission recommendations. The socio-legal impact on marginalised groups is evaluated using secondary materials, including policy papers, scholarly articles, and reliable news items, in order to contextualise the legal analysis. Through the integration of doctrinal research with current advancements, the study assesses the challenges encountered by marginalised people and suggests workable legal remedies.
Literature Review
Previous works and official manuals explain the mechanics of intensive/summary revisions and the legal standards for inclusion, deletion, and objections. Recent writing focuses on administrative and structural barriers to enrolment – internal migration, documentation gaps, and uneven local capacity – highlighting how these factors disproportionately burden underprivileged groups (women, migrants, minorities, and person with disabilities). Empirical and advocacy pieces document persistent accessibility and proof-of-residence hurdles for marginalised voters, calling for stronger verification safeguards and inclusive design. The ECIs 2025 decision to launch Special Intensive Revision SIR in Bihar as a full-scale, door-to-door exercise is examined in a more recent thread. Timelines, field protocols, and the justification for a ‘from-scratch’ roll check prior to the state elections are all covered in explainers and official correspondence. The commissions emphasis on using the claims-and-objections window for redress, as well as the political contestation surrounding significant removals, are also covered. Importantly, since August 2025, judicial reportage has documented the Supreme Courts transparency-oriented directives, which include disclosing deleted names with justifications at the booth or district level and providing clarifications on what qualifies as sufficient proof of residence. These developments have a direct impact on vulnerable voters right to due process. These interventions, in conjunction with the experience of Bihar, highlight a research gap: although voter-roll integrity has been thoroughly theorised, little peer-reviewed research has been done on SIR as a distinct legal-administrative tool and its distributional effects on disadvantaged groups in the context of its actual implementation. Using contemporary reportage and policy analysis from Bihar’s SIR and doctrinal sources (constitution, statutes, ECI manuals), this study fills that vacuum by assessing legal barriers and developing solutions that protect inclusivity without sacrificing roll integrity.
Conclusion
While the Special Intensive Revision i.e. SIR of electoral records serves as a protection for democratic integrity, it also has the ability to deny the poor their right to vote. The 2025 Bihar experience highlights the double character of this exercise, it eliminated duplicates, deceased, and migrating voters, fixing widespread errors, but it also ran the risk of leaving out millions of legitimate voters from under-represented groups. Migrant workers, Dalits, minorities, women, and the urban poor are among the groups that are disproportionately impacted by these exclusions, which raises concerns under article 14 and 326 of the Constitution. Fair electoral roll administrative is made possible by the legal framework established by the Representation requirements, uneven verification procedures, and inaccessible grievance redressal. Safeguards have been reinforced by judicial interventions, including the Supreme Courts orders for transparency in deletions; however, their efficacy is contingent upon their rigorous execution. Moving forward, it will be crucial to carefully maintain the balance between inclusivity of the electorate and accuracy of rolls. To safeguard the most vulnerable voters’ ability to vote, transparent booth-level disclosure of deletions, streamlined proof-of-residence requirements, door-to-door verification initiatives, and focused awareness campaigns are crucial.
Suggestion
It is crucial to take a citizen centric-approach that puts accuracy and accessibility first in order to improve the Special Intensive Revisions SIR equity and inclusivity. Before deleting any elector off the roll, the first step is to make sure that ‘mandatory pre-deletion notices’ are sent. Before deleting something completely, at least two attempts should be made, using both physical doors slips and SMS/IVR warnings. Particularly for migrants and daily wage workers who can be absent during BLO inspections, this protection guards against unjustified exclusions. In the Bihar SIR of 2025, for example, a number of legitimate voters only realised their names were absent on election day; this omission may have been prevented with prompt notifications and recognition. During SIR, it is equally important to create a public deletion registry at the booth level that is updated every 72 hours. This register would allow communities to cross-check and file an appeal in a timely manner by identifying individuals with coded reasons like deceased, shifted, or duplicate. In order to preserve openness and community accountability, governments such as Kerala have already adopted a similar methodology, publishing booth-level records of additions and deletions. One of the largest obstacles facing disadvantaged people is the difficulty of documentation. Community based certifications (Anganwadi or ASHA workers letters, MNERGA passbook, and employer certificates) should be used in addition to formal documentation (utility bills, tenancy records) as a part of a tiered proof residence system. For homeless or families affected by a disaster, a straightforward self-declaration confirmed by the BLO and a local witness ought to be adequate. This inclusive matrix will shield populations that are routinely denied rights, such as flood-affected household in North Bihar or brick kiln workers in Gaya. Slums, rural heats, and migratory hubs must host ‘special voter registration camps’ with flexible schedules, such as weekends or evenings, to address the most difficult to reach people. For instance, EROs have effectively registered migrant workers in Tamil Nadu by using mobile vans at industrial hubs, a similar approach in Patna and Muzaffarpur, focussing on construction sites and railway stations, will guarantee that migrants are not rejected for lack of permanent evidence of residence. Grievance resolution should also be time bound and accessible. A “3-7-21 day SLA”, which consists three days for acknowledging a complaint with a tracking ID, seven days for holding a hearing, and twenty-one days for resolving the claim. Unresolved matters should be automatically sent from BLOs to higher officials via escalation methods. Voters were able to track claims during the Delhi SIR 2021 using a WhatsApp-based tracking system, which significantly decreased pendency and increased process confidence. Although, technology can significantly increase transparency, it should not exacerbate exclusion. To guarantee fair access for rural and digitally illiterate communities, offline alternatives should be matched with online pre-filling and document upload capabilities. In Justice K.S. Puttaswamy retd. V. union of India, the supreme court emphasised that Aadhaar connection must remain voluntary in order to prevent unjustified bulk deletions. Credibility would increase with regular, independent audits of digital roll management that include privacy safeguards.
Lastly, accountability must be established through audits and performance metrics. To gauge the effectiveness of grievance disposal, reinstatement success, and wrongful deletion rates, independent agencies ought to carry out post-SIR audits. It should be mandatory for districts to release dashboards that show migrant reinclusion rates, PwD enrolment coverage, and gender disparities. For instance, corrective action must be taken if Gopalganj records a wrongful deletion rate of less than 0.1% and Patna district records a 0.5% rate. Similarly, rigorous disciplinary action for negligence and performance-linked incentives for BLOs would increase compliance on the ground. Finally, SIR should be evaluated based on the correctness and inclusivity of the final rolls rather than just the quantity of deletions accomplished.
India can guarantee that no eligible citizen is excluded by combining due process, open publication, flexible documentation, migrant-sensitive enrolment, time-bound grievance procedures, and stringent accountability. These changes are both necessary and realistic in order to fulfil the democratic mandate of universal adult suffrage, which is protected by article 326 of the Constitution.
References
- The Representation of the People Act, no.43 0f 1950, §21, INDIA CODE.
- INDIAN CONST. art.324
- Election Commission of India, Manual on Electoral Rolls (2016).
- Drishti IAS, Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (June 2025), https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analyis/special-intensive-revision-of-electoral-rolls
- ForumIAS, Revision of Electoral Rolls: significance and challenges explained pointwise June 2025, https://forumias.com/blog/revision-of-electoral-role-significance-challenges-explained-poinywise/
- Bihar SIR: 61lakh voters at risk of exclusion, NDTV (Aug. 7, 2025), https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bihar=sir-bihar-electoral-roll-revision-election-commission-day-before-form-deadline
- ET Bureau, Bihar SIR Cuts 65.6lakh Names from Voter List; Total Drops to 7.24 crore, econ. Times (Aug.10,2025), https://economicstimes.inidatimes,com/news/elections/assembly-elections/bihar/et-graphics-bihar-sir-cuts-65-6-lakh-names-from-voter-list-total-drops-to-7-24-crore/articleshow/123051513.coms
- SC backs EC, Says Aadhaar, ration Card cannot be accepted as conclusive proof of residence, Econ. Times (Aug.11, 2025), https://economicstimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/sc-backs-ec-says-aadhaar-ration-card-cannot -be-accepted-as-a-conclusive-proof-of-residence/articleshow/123258341
- see generally S.Y. Qurashi, An undocumented wonder: The making of the Great Indian Election (2014).
- Vidhi centre for legal policy, Rahul Bajaj and Somya Jain, Manifestos and the disability vote (May 31, 2024), https://vidhilegalpolicy.in/blog/manifestos-and-disability-vote/)
- IOM, World Migration Report 2024 (May 30, 2024), https://brazil.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl1496/files/documents/2024-05/world-migration-report-2024,pdf
- Disability Justice Project, Priti Salian, Democracy denied: Disabled voters face Barriers in India’s Polling Process (may 25, 2024), https://disabilityjusticeproject.org/news/democracy-denied/
- UNDP, Human Development Report 2023/2024, https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf
- UNICEF et al., Global Disability Inclusion Report (mar.20, 2025), https://www.globaldiabilitysummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GIP03351-UNICEF-GDIR-Full-report
- Publish 65lakh Deleted Names with Reasons, SC tells EC; Not Interdicting Election Commission Power on SIR, Says Top Court, Times of India (Aug.12, 2025), https://timesofindia.idiatimes.com
- Election Commission of Delhi, Electoral Roll Management Initiatives (2021).
- Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, (2019) 1 SCC 1 (India).
PRIYANKA KUMARI
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH BIHAR