The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to upload the names of 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s voter list on its websites, along with the reasons for deletion. The court said the list must be publicised widely so that every voter can access it.
The bench, led by Justice Surya Kant, also ruled that those whose names have been wrongly deleted can submit their claims with a copy of their Aadhaar cards. This direction comes amid petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in poll-bound Bihar, which had raised concerns over the exclusion of Aadhaar as proof, potentially affecting a large number of voters.
During the hearing, Justice Kant noted that the ECI has confirmed 22 lakh of the 65 lakh names struck off the list are of deceased voters. “If 22 lakh people have died, why is it not disclosed at the booth level? We do not want citizens’ rights to be dependent on political parties,” he remarked.
Court’s Directions for Transparency
In its order, the bench stated: “We have briefly heard the Election Commission of India. During the course of hearing, the following steps are agreed: ECI will, as interim measure, take following steps: list of 65 lakhs voters whose names appeared in 2025 list but are not included in the draft list shall be displayed on the district level websites.”
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The order added that the list must specify the reason for deletion from the draft roll. “Wide publicity shall be given in vernacular language newspapers which has maximum circulation and it must be broadcast and telecast on Doordarshan and other channels. The district election officer, if they have a social media handle, shall display the notice there as well,” it said.
“Aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar cards. In addition, the booth-wise list of 65 lakh voters shall also be displayed on the noticeboard of all the panchayat bhawans and the Block development and panchayat offices so that people have manual access to the list,” Justice Kant read out.
Earlier, Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked how many voters’ names had been omitted after the Special Intensive Revision. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll body, responded: “65 lakhs are not there, 22 lakhs are dead.” He stressed that no name has been deleted, and any living person whose name has been removed on grounds of death can approach officials to get it rectified.
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“What we are asking is to be more transparent. We are saying that instead of this, put the entire data set on the website,” Justice Bagchi said. Justice Kant added that political workers have ideology, but “people must be able to independently check” their names online.
The court directed that the complete data set be made available online and searchable by EPIC number. “Anita Devi should know that if I go to this website, I will know how to get my name,” Justice Kant said. The matter will next be heard on August 22.
