The Election Commission of India has refused to provide a copy of the 2003 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) order in Bihar under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, raising serious questions about transparency. The commission instead provided a link to the existing order of June 2025, while the opposition and activists are calling the process a threat to democracy. Details of the incident Transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj had sought a list of the 2003 Bihar SIR order, guidelines, forms, and documents through RTI, which the Election Commission rejected on August 27, 2025. The commission provided a link to the June 24, 2025 order, which is already on the website, and said that there is no information beyond that. This order is devoid of details of the 2003 order, which was also cited in the affidavit dated July 21, 2025 in the Supreme Court, but a copy of it was not attached. The 2003 SIR asked for four documents (NRC, citizenship certificate, passport, or birth certificate) to prove citizenship, while the 2025 process asks for 11 documents, not including Aadhaar, ration card, or voter card. The opposition says these stringent conditions could deprive poor and migrant voters in Bihar of the right to vote. In the cases pending in the Supreme Court, opposition leaders, including Manoj Jha and Yogendra Yadav, have alleged that the names of 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft roll published on August 1, 2025, including 22 lakh allegedly deceased, 7 lakh dually registered, and 35 lakh declared as migrant or untraceable. Advocate Prashant Bhushan said that the Election Commission did not share the list of deleted voters and the reasons, while the Booth Level Agents (BLEs) were also deprived of information. RTI activist Venkatesh Naik sought details of action taken against election officers who included illegal voters from the Election Commission, but the commission claimed that there was no record. Bhardwaj said that the commission does not have any file or independent analysis related to the decision of the nationwide SIR, which damages its credibility. Chief Election Commissioner Gianish Kumar said on August 17, 2025, that the process is routine like in 2003, but unlike in 2003, the 2025 process was carried out a few months before the elections and during the flood season. is being done, which has drawn criticism. The Supreme Court said on August 12, 2025, that it will immediately intervene if voters declared ‘dead’ are found alive. The court directed the Election Commission to give notice and a hearing to the deleted voters, but the opposition says the process is a ‘vague’ way of verifying citizenship, which could deprive millions of votes. “The Election Commission is a constitutional body, but its silence and non-transparent attitude are poison to democracy.” — Anjali Bhardwaj References The Wire, Deccan Herald, Hindu, Money Life, Madhyamika Online, X-Post