NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the election commission of India (ECI) to submit a detailed response by August 9 regarding an application filed by an NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), seeking disclosure of information on around 65 lakh voters omitted from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls following the special intensive revision (SIR). A bench led by Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and N Kotiswar Singh asked the ECI to share details of the deleted voters and provide a copy of the data already shared with political parties to the ADR.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the ADR, pointed out that the authorities had not clarified whether the excluded voters were deceased, permanently relocated, or removed for other reasons. He also highlighted that some political parties received lists of deleted voters but lacked specifics on their status.The bench acknowledged that the list currently published is a draft and that reasons for deletion would be clarified later. Justice Surya Kant said, “we will see every voter likely to be affected and get the required information. You (ECI) file a reply by Saturday and let Mr Bhushan look at it, and then we can see what is disclosed and what is not disclosed.”Bhushan further stated that 75 per cent of voters who submitted enumeration forms did not attach any of the 11 required documents, and their inclusion was based on recommendations by booth level officers (BLOs).TheADR’s application requests the ECI to publish a detailed, assembly constituency-wise and booth-wise list of the excluded 65 lakh voters, specifying reasons such as death, permanent migration, duplication, or other grounds. It also sought publication of a list marking voters “not recommended by the BLOs” in the draft rolls released on August 1.The SC has scheduled hearings for petitions challenging the June 24 ECI order mandating the SIR, filed by leaders including RJD MP Manoj Jha, ADR, PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam, for August 12 and 13.On July 29, the top court warned the ECI that it would intervene promptly if mass exclusion was detected during the revision process. It emphasised the need for “en masse inclusion” rather than exclusion and instructed the commission to continue accepting Aadhaar and voter ID cards, recognizing their “presumption of genuineness.” However, the court declined to stay the publication of the draft electoral roll.The draft roll published on August 1 lists 7.24 crore voters but excludes over 65 lakh names citing reasons such as death (22.34 lakh), permanent absence or migration (36.28 lakh), and multiple registrations (7.01 lakh). Printed copies have been made available to political parties for verification during the claims and objections period until September 1, ahead of final publication on September 30.The ECI defended the revision exercise, stating it aims to ensure electoral integrity by removing ineligible voters.Petitioners argue the new requirements unfairly shift the burden of proof onto citizens, affecting poor and marginalized voters disproportionately, especially in rural Bihar. They also criticise the exclusion of commonly accepted documents like Aadhaar and ration cards.The apex court’s forthcoming hearings will further examine these issues as Bihar prepares for upcoming assembly elections.
