New Delhi: The number of applications filing claims, objections and fresh enrolment forms in Bihar has nearly doubled since the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish details of deleted names from the electoral rolls and accept Aadhaar for claims on August 14.
Between August 1 and the morning of August 14, according to the press note issued by the poll body, ECI received 23,557 claims and objections filed through Form 7, used for deletion of names, and Form 8, used for corrections in existing entries. In the same period, 87,966 applications for new enrolments were filed through Form 6, the form used by citizens seeking to add their names to the electoral roll.
This worked out to a daily average of roughly 1,800 claims and 6,800 enrolments.
At 3pm on August 18, the number of claims and objections were 45,616. This means that between August 14 and August 18, 22,059 applications were filed. This works to a daily average of 4,412.
Applications for new enrolments stood at 152,651 at 3pm on August 18. This means that between August 14 and August 18, 64,685 enrolment forms were filed. This works to a daily average of 12,937.
The commission released updates every day except on August 10, 16, and 17.
The interim order, passed by a bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, asked ECI to make public the list of 6.5 million names struck off the rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) along with the reasons for deletion. The court further directed that the lists be publicised through advertisements so that people could approach ECI for corrections.
“Aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar cards,” justice Kant said while reading out the order, clarifying that this facility applied to claims filed against deletions.