New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC), in a significant interim order, has instructed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make public a detailed, booth-wise list of nearly 65 lakh voters who have been left out of the draft electoral roll in Bihar during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The draft roll was published on August 1, just months before the state heads to assembly elections. The SC order was issued on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that the list must clearly state the reasons for each deletion—whether due to death, migration, duplication, or inability to trace the voter.
The Court stressed that families deserve to know why their relatives’ names have disappeared from the roll. “If 22 lakh voters have been marked as deceased, why not disclose their names? People are saying they are learning only later that their relatives are shown as dead. If names are released publicly, that confusion ends. For example, a family in Bihar should know if ‘Poonam Devi’s’ name was struck off because she is recorded as deceased,” Justice Kant told the ECI’s counsel, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi.
Reinforcing the principle that voters have a constitutional right to remain on the roll and a corresponding “right to know,” the Bench said transparency is central to maintaining public faith in elections. Justice Bagchi added that publishing names and reasons openly would inspire confidence among the electorate.
The 65 lakh names represent a huge chunk of Bihar’s 7.89 crore registered voters. Importantly, these names were present in the list issued after the January 2025 summary revision but were excluded in the draft released this month.
To ensure accessibility, the Court ordered that the lists and reasons for deletion be uploaded on the websites of every District Electoral Officer (DEO) and also displayed physically at booth level officer (BLO) offices, block development offices and panchayat offices. Additionally, the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar must upload soft copies on the state election website. Public notices in simple language, in both vernacular and English newspapers, along with radio, TV and social media announcements, must also be issued so that even the illiterate or migrant population can be alerted through their communities.
The Bench underlined that wrongful deletions can have “serious civil consequences.” Justice Kant noted that even if a migrant worker is wrongly marked as dead, neighbours or friends can inform him if such a list is published, preventing loss of his franchise.
For voters wishing to challenge their exclusion, the Court clarified that Aadhaar can be used as valid proof of identity and residence. Justice Bagchi said Aadhaar is already statutorily recognised, making this the first instance where the Court has formally directed its use for the Bihar SIR process.
The Court further directed the ECI to ensure that lists are searchable by EPIC number and to submit a consolidated compliance report from BLOs and DEOs by August 22, the next hearing date.
Although the ECI initially argued that BLOs and political parties’ booth-level agents (BLAs) were already assisting voters, the Court rejected this reasoning. It said voters cannot be left dependent on partisan agents or the convenience of officials to learn why their names were removed. “The revision process must be voter-friendly, not burdensome. Public display of names with reasons minimises manual interventions and shields the process from political influence,” Justice Kant observed.
The interim order is expected to set a precedent for similar disputes in other states, shaping how electoral roll revisions are conducted nationwide.