Election Commission’s power to control elections is no carte blanche to rule on citizenship, petitioners assert

But no authority can act arbitrarily or without any good reason,” Mr. Bhushan submitted. Ruling on citizenship“The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) on the ground asks for either a passport or a birth certificate to determine citizenship. Besides, who has empowered the ERO with the authority to determine citizenship?” Mr. Bhushan asked. If somebody is asserting that I am not a citizen, I too have a right to cross examine that person or authority in court,” Mr. Bhushan argued. Advocate Vrinda Grover, also for petitioners in the Bihar SIR, submitted that the procedure of the 2025 SIR was actually a “statutory amendment done in the garb of a notification”.