New Delhi, August 14 — In a landmark step to safeguard electoral transparency, the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make public the names of nearly 65 lakh voters who were removed from Bihar’s draft electoral roll ahead of the 2025 polls.
The move comes after concerns mounted over the sheer scale of deletions — a figure so large it raised fears of wrongful exclusions and potential disenfranchisement. Until now, the list of excluded voters was accessible only to political parties’ Booth Level Agents.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi ruled on Thursday that the ECI must upload the names of all excluded voters online, enabling any citizen with an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number to check if they have been removed.
Restored Names to Be Listed Too
The court’s directive doesn’t stop there. Voters who were deleted from the draft list but reinstated in the final electoral roll for 2025 must also be displayed booth-wise, along with explicit reasons for their earlier removal. This information is to be posted on the websites of every District Electoral Officer and the Chief Electoral Officer, and physically displayed on notice boards at panchayat bhavans and block development offices.
Mass Awareness Campaign Ordered
To ensure no voter is caught unaware, the court has instructed the ECI to run an extensive public awareness drive. This will include advertisements in Bihar’s leading newspapers in both English and local languages, televised messages on Doordarshan, radio announcements on All India Radio, and updates via the official social media handles of district election offices.
A Guardrail for Democracy
For millions of Bihar residents, the ruling is a vital safeguard against silent erasure from the voter list — a reminder that the right to vote is not just about showing up on polling day, but about being assured a place on democracy’s most essential register.
The Supreme Court’s intervention signals a clear message: electoral rolls must be transparent, verifiable, and open to every citizen’s scrutiny.
