FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 Today, Independence Day, being a holiday in the offices of The Statesman, there will be no issue of this edition dated 16 August 2025 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | Operation Sindoor will go down in history: President Trump-Putin relationship takes spotlight ahead of Alaska summit Page 12 PARMOD KUMAR New Delhi, 14 August T he Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish on the websites of Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer and all District Electoral Officers, the district-wise list of about 65 lakh voters omitted from the draft electoral roll published on 1 August 2025 following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the state. The list, which should be searchable by EPIC number, must specify the reason for deletion in each case, such as death, permanent migration, or double registration, the court said. The Court ordered that booth-wise lists of the deleted voters be displayed on notice boards of all panchayat bhavans, block development offices, and panchayat offices, ensuring manual access. It also mandated wide publicity of the order in vernacular and English newspapers with large circulation, in the “simplest, layman-friendly language”, along with announcements through electronic and social media. Justice Surya Kant said: “If Poonam Devi has been omitted, Poonam Devi must be able to know that she has been deleted and why she has been deleted.” The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also directed the ECI to make it clear in public notices that Aadhaar cards can also be furnished as identity proof when applying for re-inclusion, in addition to the existing 11 accepted documents. “Your list of 11 documents seems citizen-friendly, but Aadhaar and EPIC are readily available… your notice can say those who have not submitted so far can submit their Aadhaar and EPIC also,” Justice Bagchi observed. At the outset, the bench questioned the ECI’s reluctance to disclose the list and reasons for omission. “Transparency will help create voter confidence. Why don’t you take the additional step of putting it up on the website, clearly identifying persons who are not there, with reasons, so that they can take remedial measures?” Justice Bagchi told senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Commission. Mr Dwivedi maintained that the Commission had “a wide reservoir of powers” under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, read with Article 324 of the Constitution, to conduct the SIR. The order came during hearings on petitions challenging the 24 June SIR notice ~ issued just ahead of the Bihar assembly elections ~ by NGOs including Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), as well as MPs and activists. Petitioners allege violations of Articles 14, 19, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution, and contend that the exercise could cause large -scale disenfranchisement. Friday, 15 August, 2025 1972 Olympic hockey bronze medallist Dr Vece Paes passes away Page 16 Page 10 SIR: SC asks EC to upload data of omitted voters | SPORTS WORLD NATION BHUBANESWAR Bengali migrant workers issue: SC to examine plea against alleged detention AGENCIES New Delhi, 14 August The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that Bengali-speaking migrant workers are being detained across several states of the country on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Issuing notice, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi sought responses of the Centre and the governments of Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, & West Bengal in the matter. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, submitted that the detentions are creating panic among Bengali-speaking migrants across the country and pressed for an interim order to be issued against the detentions. 50 pilgrims feared killed in J&K cloudburst STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Jammu, 14 August At least 50 people, most of them pilgrims, including women and children, are feared killed and more than 150 injured on Thursday when two cloudbursts hit the Chosoti village of Paddar in the Kishtwar district. About 30 bodies have been recovered so far, officials said. Several people are still missing and many are buried under the debris. A massive search operation by the Army, NDRF, J&K Police, CRPF and SDRF is on to locate the missing persons. The figure of fatalities is likely to further increase. Two security forces personnel on the Machail Mata Yatra duty were also among those killed. About 100 injured people, including 62 women, have been shifted to various hospitals in the area. Many devotees of Machail Mata having breakfast in a community kitchen were reportedly washed away in the flash flood caused due to cloudburst, reports said. The Machail Mata Yatra began on 25 July and will conclude on 5 September. The yatra has been suspended due to the tragedy. The Kishtwar police has asked families and relatives of missing persons to report to the control room.