Published names of all excluded voters: EC affidavit to SC

THe Election charge of bharat (ECI) on th submitted before the sublime margaret court that it has complied with the court’s directions on transparency in Bihar’s electoral roll revision, publishing the booth-wise list of nearly 6.5 million voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls along with reasons for their exclusion. The move comes a day ahead of Friday’s crucial hearing on petitions alleging large-scale deletions during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.In a compliance affidavit, the poll panel said: “That in light of the order passed by this Hon’ble Court, the booth-wise list of about 65 lakh persons whose names do not appear in the Draft electoral Roll has been published on the website of all 38 District Election Officers in the State of Bihar, along with reasons for their non-inclusion in the Draft Electoral Roll, i.e., whether it is on account of death, shifting of ordinary residence or duplicate entries.”It added that reports have been received from all 38 DEOs in this regard and have been annexed to this affidavit, along with report of CEO Bihar.The Commission further stated that the lists have also been posted at Panchayat Bhavans, block development offices and panchayat offices.“In addition to this, the BLOs/BLAs are also in possession of the said list and they are available (to) the residents of such villages and urban areas to enable inquiry about the reasons for their non-inclusion and also to seek assistance and for filing claims/objections/corrections in accordance with procedure prescribed by SIR Order dated 24.06.2025,” the affidavit added.ECI also pointed to its outreach campaign: “With a view to inform the people about online availability of the aforesaid list on the website of CEO and DEOs and the display of such list at Panchayat Bhavans/Block Development/Panchayat offices, publicity has been given in newspapers having wide circulation in the state of Bihar, and also through radio, electronic and social media, including social media accounts of the DEOs. The public notices expressly mention that aggrieved persons may submit their claims along with a copy of their Aadhaar card.”The filing follows the Supreme Court’s August 14 interim order directing the commission to place the names of all excluded voters in the public domain by August 19, with details of whether the omission was due to death, migration, duplication, or other reasons.Stressing that “preparing electoral rolls was not a mere administrative formality but a process with direct implications for a citizen’s franchise,” a bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had underlined that transparency was essential to bolster public confidence.“A fair procedure is a must,” the bench had observed, cautioning that the absence of clarity in exclusions could undermine trust in the electoral process.“Transparency will help create voter confidence,” the court remarked on the day as it rejected ECI’s earlier contention that it had no statutory duty to publish such a list.The August 14 order had also directed that the lists be displayed in EPIC-based searchable format on the websites of all district electoral officers and the state’s chief electoral officer, as well as at panchayat and block offices. Notices were to be published in widely circulated vernacular newspapers, broadcast on television and radio, and posted on the official social media handles of the DEOs, with the court emphasising that they must be “layman-friendly”. The court further ordered that Aadhaar cards be accepted as valid proof for filing claims for inclusion in the final rolls.The controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has snowballed into a political flashpoint ahead of the Bihar assembly polls later this year, with opposition parties in the INDIA bloc alleging that the revision could disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters and be replicated nationwide.While the commission has defended SIR as necessary to update rolls that have not undergone intensive revision for nearly two decades, petitioners including NGOs, political leaders and activists have challenged its legality and fairness, contending that citizenship verification does not fall within the ECI’s remit.