The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publicly release names of around 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls, along with reasons for deletion. The data must be uploaded on each district electoral officer’s website and physically displayed at Panchayat Bhawans, block offices, and panchayat offices. Publicity through newspapers, Doordarshan, radio, and official social media is also mandatory.
The order comes amid allegations of large-scale deletions during Bihar’s Special Electoral Revision (SIR). The SC also asked ECI to file compliance reports before the next hearing on August 22 and to provide details of documents used in the 2003 electoral roll revision.
Petitioners argued that the 2003 reference date was arbitrary, EPIC cards from summary revisions were equally valid, and booth-level officers had excessive discretion. The ECI defended its powers and claimed most of Bihar’s 6.5 crore voters wouldn’t need to submit documents.
Earlier, the SC had said electoral roll revisions are “inevitable” and noted that expanding acceptable ID documents from 7 to 11 was “voter-friendly.” The SIR has sparked political criticism from RJD, Congress, and ADR in poll-bound Bihar.
