Bihar SIR Row: SC Orders EC to Disclose Details of 65 Lakh Dropped Voters

PTI, August 14, 2025,  New Delhi : ssuing a slew of directions, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the details of 65 lakh voters whose names were dropped from the draft roll published on August 1.

The bench was acting on a batch of pleas challenging the ECI's decision to conduct the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the poll panel to publish the details of the 65 lakh voters whose names were omitted from the draft roll published on August 1, 2025.

"The list of approximately 65 lakh voters, whose names appeared in the voter list as of 2025 but are not included in the draft roll dated August 1, 2025, shall be displayed on the websites of the district election officers (district-wise)," it said.

The top court stated that the information would be provided booth-wise but could be accessed by referring to the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number of each voter.

"The list so displayed shall also disclose the reason for non-inclusion in the draft roll," the bench noted.

The chief electoral officer of Bihar, the bench stated, will also receive soft copies of the district-wise lists of voters who have been excluded from the draft roll, along with the reasons for their non-inclusion, which should be displayed on the office's website.

The eight-page order read, "It is clarified that the lists displayed on all the websites shall be in a searchable mode with the EPIC number."

Additionally, the booth-wise lists of the 65 lakh voters whose names were not included in the draft roll must also be displayed on the notice boards of respective panchayat bhavans and the offices of the block development officers/panchayat officers. This will allow the general public to access the voter lists, along with the reasons for the non-inclusion of their names.

"To inform the public about the online availability of the aforementioned lists on the websites of the district election officer and the display of such lists at the panchayat bhavans and the offices of the block Development/Panchayat Officers, extensive publicity shall be given in daily newspapers in the vernacular language as well as English newspapers with wide circulation in Bihar," the order stated.

The top court also directed that the information be broadcast via radio and electronic media.

"If the district election officers/Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar, have any official social media accounts, the public notice may also be displayed on those profiles," the bench said.

The public notice should explicitly mention that the aggrieved persons can submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar card.

"The Election Commission of India shall obtain a compliance report from all the booth-level officers and District Election Officers and place it on record as a collated status report," the bench ordered, and posted the matter for August 22.