The SC has directed the ECI to provide details of the 3.66 lakh names deleted from Bihar's final electoral roll.
The ECI has failed to provide details of the latest additions and deletions uptil now.
The next hearing has been scheduled for 9 October 2025, to hear the ECI’s reply. A detailed hearing has been posted for 14 October 2025.
In its latest hearing on Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to provide details of the 3.66 lakh names excluded from the final electoral roll following the completion of its SIR exercise in the state.
The SC demanded a response from the ECI to allegations levelled against it by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) challenging its roll revision exercise. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi recused themselves from providing “any piecemeal opinion” on the matter. They scheduled the next Bihar SIR hearing for 9 October 2025, to hear the ECI’s reply. A detailed hearing has been posted for 14 October 2025.
On 30 September 2025, the election commission had published the final voter list for Bihar, with a total 7.42 crore electors listed – down from 7.89 crore before the exercise, but up from 7.2 crore published in the draft roll. In total, 21.53 lakh new voters were added, while 3.66 lakh were removed.
Arguing on behalf of the ADR, advocate Prashant Bhushan requested details of the final list to be furnished for transparency and comparison with the pre-SIR roll. Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing on behalf of the ECI, said that “no complaint or appeal [has been] filed till now by any excluded voters.” This was in response to Justice Bagchi’s comments that “there is confusion in the general democratic process” relating to the recent additions and deletions.
The ECI has so far has refused to provide details of the latest additions and exclusions despite public demand – at its latest press conference, where it announced the polling schedule for the Bihar Assembly Election, it repeatedly refused to answer questions on the same.
With the Bihar elections drawing closer – scheduled for 6 and 11 November – there is still uncertainty and doubt surrounding the latest electoral roll and the ECI’s commitment to transparency.
As with the previous rolls published during the SIR exercise, questions still stand regarding the disproportionate exclusion of women and minorities. Journalists have also pointed to duplicate voters in the final list, as well as in previous iterations. These claims remain unaddressed. Given this, and the ECI’s noncommittal response to any questions posed to it, concerns surround the SIR process.
The ECI has also announced plans to launch a nationwide version of the exercise. And with polls coming up in states like West Bengal and Assam, details of the list and transparency into its processes will help eases the minds of citizens who wish to ensure fair and free elections in their country. [Rh/DS]