Today, On 14th August, The Supreme Court, during the hearing on the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, remarked that Bihar is the birthplace of democracy and also noted that the country’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, hailed from the state.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide information about the documents used during the intensive electoral roll revision in Bihar in 2003.
A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi resumed hearing pleas that challenge the ECI’s decision on June 24 to conduct a special intensive revision (SIR) in the state.
The Apex Court Remarked,
Bihar Is The Birthplace Of Democracy. Also 1st President Was From There
The court emphasized that the list of voters must be made public so that every voter can access it. In a significant ruling, the court stated that individuals whose names have been incorrectly removed can submit claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar cards.
This is particularly important because petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision highlighted the exclusion of Aadhaar as valid proof, which could impact many voters.
While hearing petitions related to the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Bihar, Justice Surya Kant pointed out that the Election Commission reported that 22 lakh out of 65 lakh names removed from the list are deceased.
He remarked,
“If 22 lakh people have died, why is it not disclosed at the booth level? We do not want citizens’ rights to be dependent on political parties,”
In its ruling, the bench stated,
“We have briefly heard the Election Commission of India. During the course of hearing, the following steps are agreed: ECI will, as an interim measure, take the following steps: the list of 65 lakhs voters whose names appeared in the 2025 list but are not included in the draft list shall be displayed on the district-level websites.”
The order specified that this list must also indicate the reasons for deletion from the draft roll.
It stated,
“Wide publicity shall be given in vernacular language newspapers with maximum circulation, and it must be broadcast and telecast on Doordarshan and other channels. The district election officer, if they have a social media presence, shall also display the notice there,”
Justice Kant noted,
“Aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar cards. Additionally, the booth-wise list of 65 lakh voters shall be displayed on the noticeboards of all panchayat bhawans and Block development and panchayat offices to ensure manual access to the list,”
Earlier, Justice Joymalya Bagchi inquired about the number of voters whose names were omitted from the draft list created after the Special Intensive Revision. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, responded, “65 lakhs are not there; 22 lakhs are dead.”
Mr. Dwivedi emphasized that no names have been deleted, and anyone who is alive but has had their name removed due to the grounds of death can approach the election officials for rectification.
Justice Bagchi remarked,
“What we are asking is to be more transparent. We are saying that instead of this, put the entire data set on the website,”
Justice Kant added that while political workers may have ideologies,
“people must be able to independently check their names online.”
The court also mentioned that this list should be searchable, allowing individuals to access it using their EPIC numbers.
The case is scheduled for a follow-up hearing on August 22.
The court remarked that expanding the list of acceptable identity documents from seven to eleven for Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was “voter-friendly and not exclusionary.”
As the debate over the SIR intensified, the bench asserted that the ECI has the authority to conduct such exercises as it sees fit. The bench also rejected a petitioner’s claim that the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, which is approaching elections, lacked legal foundation and should be annulled.
Opposition leaders, including those from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, as well as the NGO Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), have contested the electoral roll revision initiative in Bihar.
Case Title: ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ORS. Versus ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA, W.P.(C) No. 640/2025 (and connected cases)