The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the names of 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s electoral roll, along with the reasons for their deletion, on district-level websites. The list, it said, must be widely publicised to ensure that every citizen can independently verify their status.
Hearing petitions against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in poll-bound Bihar, a bench led by Justice Surya Kant emphasised transparency, noting that 22 lakh of those removed were reported as deceased. “If 22 lakh people have died, why is it not disclosed at the booth level? We do not want citizens’ right to be dependent on political parties,” Justice Kant observed.
The court’s interim order requires the ECI to display the complete list on district websites, with the stated reason for each deletion. Notices must also be published in leading vernacular newspapers, broadcast on Doordarshan and other channels, and posted on official social media handles. At the grassroots, the booth-wise lists will be placed on noticeboards of panchayat bhawans, block development offices, and panchayat offices to ensure manual access.
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Aggrieved voters will be allowed to submit claims, accompanied by copies of their Aadhaar cards, for correction. The court also insisted that the database be searchable by EPIC number, so individuals like “Anita Devi” can verify their names and take necessary action without relying on intermediaries.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi pressed the ECI to disclose the exact number of deletions after the SIR exercise. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the poll body, clarified that “65 lakhs are not there, 22 lakhs are dead,” adding that no wrongful deletions were intended and those mistakenly marked as deceased could seek reinstatement.
The bench underlined that political affiliations should not interfere with voters’ ability to access accurate information. “People must be able to independently check their names online,” Justice Kant said, directing that the entire dataset be made public. The matter will next be heard on 22 August.
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