NEW DELHI, Aug 14 — The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission to publish details of around 65 lakh voters removed from the electoral rolls in Bihar and provide reasons for their non-inclusion, aiming to enhance transparency in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The bench, led by Justice Surya Kant and also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said the list of voters, whose names appeared in the 2025 voter list but were excluded from the Draft Roll dated August 1, 2025, should be displayed district-wise on the websites of the District Election Officers. The information will be booth-wise, searchable through the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number of each voter.
“The list so displayed shall also disclose the reason for non-inclusion in the Draft Roll. The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar will also get soft copies of the district-wise lists of the voters who have not been included, along with reasons, displayed on its website,” the bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on August 22.
The top court further directed that the booth-wise lists should also be displayed on the notice boards of Panchayat Bhavans and offices of Block Development Officers/Panchayat Officers to ensure public access. “Extensive publicity shall be given in daily newspapers in vernacular and English, and the lists shall also be broadcast through radio, electronic media, and official social media accounts of the District Election Officers/CEO Bihar,” the order said.
The order added that aggrieved individuals may submit claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar card. The EC is required to obtain a compliance report from all Booth-Level Officers and District Election Officers and submit a collated status report to the court.
On August 1, the EC released the draft electoral rolls in Bihar, listing 7.24 crore voters. Of the 65 lakh voters removed, 22.34 lakh were dead, 36.28 lakh had permanently shifted or were absent, and 7.01 lakh were enrolled at more than one location. The EC said roughly 6.5 crore of the total 7.9 crore voting population did not need to submit any documents if their parents were listed in the 2003 rolls.
Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms, expressed concern that many voters could be disenfranchised. Earlier, the Supreme Court had noted that the Election Commission has the power to exclude non-citizens and that electoral rolls cannot remain static and must be revised periodically.
