UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Place in the electoral rolls is a ‘qualified right’, with essential conditions, poll body tells SC

Q1. Approximately how many electors were excluded on a net basis from the final electoral roll of Bihar published on 30 September 2025, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise?

  • A. About 18 lakh
  • B. About 35 lakh
  • C. About 47 lakh
  • D. About 65 lakh

Q2. Who headed the Supreme Court Bench before which the Election Commission of India argued in January 2026 that a place in the electoral rolls is a 'qualified right'?

  • A. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant
  • B. Justice Joymalya Bagchi
  • C. Justice Sanjiv Khanna
  • D. Justice B.R. Gavai

Q3. With reference to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls of 2025 as compared to a routine Summary Revision, consider the following statements: 1. The SIR of 2025 was conducted under Article 324 read with Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. 2. Phase-I of the SIR in 2025 was carried out simultaneously in Bihar and all the nine States and three Union Territories that were later covered under Phase-II. 3. Unlike a routine summary revision, the SIR involved a fresh enumeration of electors with document-based verification of eligibility conditions. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The SIR of 2025 was conducted under Article 324 read with Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
  2. Phase-I of the SIR in 2025 was carried out simultaneously in Bihar and all the nine States and three Union Territories that were later covered under Phase-II.
  3. Unlike a routine summary revision, the SIR involved a fresh enumeration of electors with document-based verification of eligibility conditions.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. In the context of the Election Commission's submission before the Supreme Court that a place in the electoral roll is a 'qualified right', the expression 'qualified right' most precisely means:

  • A. A fundamental right available only to citizens, which can be suspended only during a National Emergency.
  • B. A statutory right that is conditional on the elector continuously satisfying the eligibility conditions in Article 326, and is therefore liable to be revoked if those conditions cease to be fulfilled.
  • C. A right that vests permanently in a person once their name is included in the electoral roll, and can be removed only by a judicial order.
  • D. A right available only to those electors whose names have been verified through the Aadhaar database.