Bihar Elections: SC Directs ECI To Furnish Details Of 65 Lakh Deleted Voters In Draft Electoral Rolls

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Election Commission to respond by August 9 to a plea seeking detailed disclosure on nearly 65 lakh voters missing from Bihar’s draft electoral roll following a Special Intensive Revision drive.

Appearing for the petitioner NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), advocate Prashant Bhushan told the bench that no granular data has been shared on whether the excluded voters were deceased, had migrated, or were removed for other reasons.

The bench—comprising Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and N Kotiswar Singh—asked the poll body to submit the data shared with political parties and provide a copy to the NGO.

The EC maintained that all necessary information had been shared with political parties. However, Bhushan contended that the list lacks clarity on the reason for deletions. “Some parties have the deleted voter list, but it doesn’t specify if the person is dead or relocated,” he told the court.

Justice Kant observed that specific reasons for deletions would be clarified in the final list, not the draft. “We’ll ensure every affected voter is accounted for. File your reply by Saturday and let Mr. Bhushan examine it,” the court directed the EC.

ADR’s application also seeks publication of a booth-wise list of deleted electors and the reasons for their removal—whether due to death, migration, duplication, or being untraceable. It further asks the EC to disclose names of those whose enumeration forms were marked “not recommended” by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

The issue arises amid broader concerns raised in a batch of petitions challenging the EC’s June 24 directive mandating voters in Bihar to submit citizenship proof to remain on electoral rolls. Petitioners—including RJD MP Manoj Jha, PUCL, Mahua Moitra, Yogendra Yadav, and others—argue that the move burdens citizens and disproportionately affects rural and marginalised populations.

The apex court will hear the batch of pleas on August 12 and 13.