The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission (EC) to submit detailed information about the 3.7 lakh voters excluded from Bihar’s final voter list following a special intensive revision (SIR). The revision exercise had earlier faced sharp criticism from NGO-petitioners accusing the EC of deleting names arbitrarily. However, the EC defended its actions in the Supreme Court, stating that all political parties expressed satisfaction with the voter list revision and no appeals were filed against the deletion of names.
During the proceedings, the court expressed skepticism about claims from individuals living unauthorized in the state who allegedly do not want to expose themselves by filing appeals regarding deletions. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi remarked that if deletion was wrongful, at least a hundred affidavits should have been submitted to prove their case.
The final voter list for Bihar now contains 7.4 crore names. The Special Intensive Revision initially led to the deletion of 65 lakh names in the draft voter list. After further scrutiny, an additional 3.7 lakh names were removed while 21.5 lakh mostly new voters were added to the final list. The Supreme Court’s demand to the EC to provide details about these 3.7 lakh excluded voters aims to ensure transparency and accountability in https://elmalpensado.com/ the revision process, since it said, “There is confusion.”
The EC counsel, Rakesh Dwivedi, countered the NGO’s accusations by insisting that individuals claiming wrongful deletion must file affidavits proving their case. The court, questioning the NGO’s intent behind the exercise, asked for clarity on the purpose behind their petitions.
This hearing highlights ongoing tensions around voter list revisions in Bihar and reflects judicial scrutiny over electoral rolls to safeguard the integrity of the democratic process.
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