Bihar SIR: SC Seeks Details Of 3.66 Lakh Excluded Voters; EC Says No Complaints So Far

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (7 October) directed the Election Commission of India (EC) to provide details of the 3.66 lakh voters excluded from the final electoral roll prepared under the Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Times of India reported.

The court has asked the EC to submit the information by 9 October, with further hearings scheduled on the same day.

During the proceedings, the EC told the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that most of the additions to the final list comprised new voters, along with a few old voters.

The poll body also noted that no complaints or appeals have been filed by excluded voters so far.

Justice Bagchi, speaking to senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, observed that court directions had increased transparency in the electoral process.

The bench highlighted that about 65 lakh names had been deleted from the draft list published earlier, and stressed that deletions should follow Rule 21 and the prescribed SOPs, with the data of deleted voters made available at electoral offices.

According to the EC, the final electoral roll published on September 30 shows a net reduction of 47 lakh voters, bringing Bihar’s total electorate to 7.42 crore, down from 7.89 crore before the SIR.

However, the final tally reflects a net gain of 17.87 lakh voters compared to the draft roll, after adding 21.53 lakh new voters and removing 3.66 lakh names.

The final roll publication coincides with the announcement of the Bihar Assembly election schedule on 6 October. Voting will take place in two phases: 6  November for 121 seats and 11 November for 122 seats, with counting scheduled for 14 November.

The Supreme Court’s scrutiny comes amid petitions challenging the SIR process, with the bench seeking comparative data to clarify whether the additions and deletions align with the final electoral figures, ensuring the integrity of Bihar’s voter list ahead of the polls.

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