Bihar roll revision: SC directs ECI to publish list of 65 lakh omitted voters

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish the district-wise list of approximately 65 lakh voters omitted from the draft electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. The list must include reasons for deletion, such as death, migration, or duplicate registration.

The court said the lists should be made available on the websites of District Electoral Officers and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar, and must be searchable using EPIC numbers.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued the directions while hearing petitions challenging the SIR process. The bench has reserved its order on the interim prayer and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday, August 22.

The court also directed that public notices be issued stating that excluded persons can file claims for inclusion using their Aadhaar cards. The ECI must give wide publicity to this via newspapers, electronic media, and social media. The deadline for compliance is next Tuesday.

The court questioned why individual voters should have to approach political parties to know if they had been deleted from the rolls. When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi government, said the lists had already been shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs), the court responded, "Why should a voter run after a political party to know their status? Why don’t you do it on the internet also?”

Justice Bagchi added that transparency would improve public confidence in the electoral process, “If you bring this into the public domain, the narrative against the ECI disappears.”

The bench also directed the ECI to include the Aadhaar card in its list of 11 acceptable documents for inclusion claims. Although an earlier July 10 order had asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar, it wasn’t formally added to the list. "Your list is citizen-friendly, but Aadhaar and EPIC are readily available… Make it clear that both can be submitted," said Justice Bagchi.

Supreme Court’s interim directions to the ECI:

1. District-wise list of approximately 65 lakh omitted voters to be published on the websites of District Electoral Officers, searchable by EPIC number, and including the reasons for omission. The list will also be published on the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar's website.
2. Wide publicity through vernacular newspapers, TV, radio, and social media to inform the public.
3. Booth-wise lists to be displayed physically at Block Development Office/Panchayat offices by Booth Level Officers.
4. Public notices must clearly state that Aadhaar cards can be submitted along with claims for inclusion.
5. All lists must be in a searchable format to allow easy access by voters.
   (With LiveLaw inputs)