SC Orders ECI To Publish List Of 65 Lakh Deleted Voters In Bihar, Give Reasons For Removal

New Delhi: In a major direction to ensure transparency in the electoral process, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the district-wise list of approximately 65 lakh voters whose names were included in the 2025 voter roll but omitted from the draft electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. 

The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that the list must also clearly specify the reasons for deletion, such as death, migration, or double registration.

The lists will be published on the websites of all District Electoral Officers as well as the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, the bench noted.

Th3 bench noted that the information will be booth-wise but searchable using the EPIC number of the voter. In addition, booth-wise lists will be displayed on the notice boards of panchayat offices by Booth Level Officers to enable manual access for the public.

The Court also directed the ECI to give wide publicity to the lists through Bihar’s highest-circulation newspapers and radio channels. 

If District Electoral Officers have social media handles, the public notice must be posted there as well. Notices must be in simple, layman-friendly language and in local languages, the bench noted.

The Supreme Court further ordered that the public notice must clearly inform excluded voters that they can submit claims for inclusion in the final list along with a copy of their Aadhaar card. 

The ECI has been given until next Tuesday to comply with the directions. The matter will next be heard on August 22 for monitoring compliance.

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