The Supreme Court has taken a big step to ensure transparency in Bihar’s electoral process. On Thursday, the court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publicly disclose the names of around 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls and the reasons behind their removal. Whether it’s due to death, migration, or duplication, the details must be made available.
This decision comes as part of an interim order by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. The ECI has been instructed to publish the list on district electoral officers’ websites and ensure wide publicity through local newspapers, Doordarshan, radio, and official social media channels. This way, no voter is left in the dark.
But the court didn’t stop there. It also mandated that booth-wise lists be displayed at Panchayat Bhawans, Block Development offices, and Panchayat offices across Bihar. This ensures even those without internet access can manually check their voter status. Additionally, the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar’s website must host the details, and the information should be searchable using EPIC numbers.
To hold officials accountable, the Supreme Court asked the ECI to collect compliance reports from booth-level and district-level officers by Tuesday. The court also clarified that aggrieved voters—those whose names were wrongly excluded—can file objections by submitting a copy of their Aadhaar card. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for August 22.
A batch of petitions challenging the ECI’s Special Summary Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls prompted this ruling. The petitions were filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam. They contested the ECI’s June 24 directive, which required numerous voters to submit citizenship proof to stay on the rolls.
The petitioners argued that this move unfairly targets underprivileged and rural voters, especially since widely accepted documents like Aadhaar and ration cards weren’t considered valid proof. The Supreme Court’s latest order aims to balance electoral integrity with voter rights, ensuring no eligible citizen is disenfranchised without due process.