The Supreme Court of India has strongly warned the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it will not hesitate to step in “without fail” if individuals marked as deceased in the upcoming draft electoral roll for Bihar are later found to be alive. The remark came during a crucial hearing on Tuesday, July 29, just days ahead of the release of the draft list on August 1, 2025, under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made it clear that any mass exclusion or wrongful deletion of voters will attract immediate judicial scrutiny. “Bring 15 people they say are dead, but are actually alive—we will look into it,” Justice Bagchi firmly told senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan, who are representing petitioners, including opposition parties and the Association for Democratic Rights.
65 Lakh Names Allegedly Missing
Concerns have been raised that nearly 65 lakh names have been omitted from the electoral rolls in Bihar under the justification that these individuals were either deceased or had permanently shifted. Petitioners have dubbed the SIR process a form of “citizenship screening,” expressing fears that large numbers of eligible voters may be disenfranchised.
Justice Kant urged caution, asking the petitioners to wait until the draft roll is published, stating that current objections remain speculative. He added that if even one person wrongly marked as dead turns up alive, the Court would “definitely intervene.”
EC Says Roll Is Based on January 2025 List
The ECI clarified in its affidavit that the upcoming August 1 draft will be based on the January 7, 2025 electoral roll, compiled after a special summary revision. Voters from that list will be included if they submitted enumeration forms, with or without documents.
Justice Bagchi explained that voters missing from the draft roll still have time until September 1, 2025, to raise objections or correct entries. The final list will be published on September 30.
Lack of Transparency a Major Concern
Kapil Sibal and Prashant Bhushan highlighted the lack of clarity over who has been marked dead or shifted. “We don’t even know who they are. Without the list, how will anyone object?” Sibal questioned.
Responding to this, the EC’s counsel Rakesh Dwivedi claimed that all relevant lists were shared with political parties and posted online. However, the petitioners remained unsatisfied, demanding greater transparency.
EC Defends SIR as Clean-Up Exercise
Defending its move, the Election Commission said the SIR aims to “weed out ineligible persons” and ensure cleaner elections. The panel stated that Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration card are being used only to verify identity, not citizenship.
A citizen’s panel, after a public hearing in Patna, has called the SIR “impractical and riddled with irregularities.” Still, the EC stands by its process, citing past political complaints about errors in voter lists.
The Supreme Court will hold its next hearing on August 12 and 13, focusing on omissions in the August 1 draft roll and any violations of voter rights.
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