New Delhi : The Election Commission of India (ECI) pushed back against petitioners challenging the constitutionality of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, contending that comparisons to foreign due process norms were misplaced and raising global examples, including actions by the United States. The Commission questioned the relevance of citing US case law on due process, and cited recent US presidential rhetoric to underline the point, telling the Court that even in the United States, due process is debated and interpreted variably.
The counsel noted that in global affairs, Trump had suggested that the United States “do need Greenland” and encouraged negotiations over its control, illustrating contested concepts of executive conduct abroad. The Supreme Court is seized of a batch of writ petitions including those filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), opposition leaders and civil liberties organisations. The petitioners contend that the SIR order dated June 24 has no clear legal basis in law and may violate fundamental rights under Articles 14 (equality before law), 19 (freedom of speech), 21 (personal liberty) and 325 (no discrimination in elections) of the Constitution.
The Commission has now decided to begin the Special Intensive Revision to discharge its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls,” the ECI stated in its order when the SIR was launched. In court, a key point of contention was whether the ECI’s exercise in Bihar veered into assessing citizenship rather than merely cleaning up electoral lists by removing dead, shifted or duplicate entries. The Supreme Court questioned the ECI, pointing out that the SIR notification does not clearly differentiate between transboundary migration and internal inter-state migration.
Trump recently renewed calls at the World Economic Forum for negotiations over Greenland, saying the vast Arctic territory was strategically important, although he said he did not intend to use force. His remarks drew sharp rebuttals from Danish and European leaders, insisting any future of Greenland should be decided by its people. The Supreme Court has not yet delivered a final judgment. It has, in interim orders, directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar cards as valid identity documents during the revision process, while clarifying that Aadhaar alone does not prove citizenship.
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