Supreme Court Order on Bihar Voter Deletion: The Supreme Court today directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish, by Tuesday, district-wise details of the 65 lakh voters whose names have been removed from Bihar’s draft electoral roll, specifying reasons for each deletion whether due to death, migration, or duplication.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that the list must be made available on the websites of all district electoral officers, with corresponding physical displays at the notice boards of panchayat bhawans and block offices. “Transparency is essential so that citizens can seek clarification or correction,” the Bench observed. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan pointed out, “But Aadhaar they are not taking.” [Also Know - Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A Constitutional Necessity or a Political Instrument]

Justice Bagchi responded firmly, “No, no, they have to. ”Justice Kant added, “It is a statutory obligation. It has to be there. ”When Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, said that searches would be by EPIC number, Justice Bagchi questioned, “If you are pasting all the names before the BLO office, then why not on the website?” Dwivedi replied that doing so could violate the privacy judgment.

Justice Kant countered, “But EPIC number must be with all, right?” before posting the matter for further consideration next Friday.The Court noted discrepancies in the ECI’s claim that 22 lakh of the 65 lakh deletions were due to death.Justice Kant questioned why such data could not be disclosed at the booth level, remarking, “If it comes into the public domain, then that narrative will disappear.”

Justice Bagchi stressed that suo motu deletions are impermissible except in special circumstances, which must still allow a window for appeal. He further emphasised the “fundamental right to know why a name is deleted” and called for the “widest possible publicity”.Rejecting any political filter to voter verification, Justice Kant said, “We do not want citizens’ rights to be dependent on political parties.” [Also Read -Election Commission Orders Special Revision of Assam’s Electoral Rolls Ahead of 2026 Elections]

Justice Kant dictated the interim arrangement saying that the list of 65 lakh voters, with reasons for non-inclusion, will be displayed on each district electoral officer’s website. Wide publicity will be given through vernacular newspapers with maximum circulation, and the information must be broadcast on Doordarshan and other TV channels. District election officers with social media handles must post the notice there.

Aggrieved persons can submit claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar card. Booth-wise lists will be displayed physically at all panchayat bhawans and block offices. Lists will be EPIC-based searchable online.

A soft copy of the district-wise list will also be posted on the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer’s website.

ECI will secure compliance reports from booth-level and district-level officers and file them in Court. The matter will be heard again on August 22.