APEX COURT ORDER EC TO PUBLIC THE NAMES OF 65 LAKH PEOPLE REMOVED FROM THE VOTER LIST

DELHI (RNI) The court gave a clear order that the names of 65 lakh people removed from the list and the reasons for their removal should be made available on the commission's website at the district level by Tuesday with full information, in which it should be clear whose name has been removed due to death, migration or duplication. People can submit their claims with Aadhaar card to include their names.*

The Supreme Court has given a clear instruction to the Election Commission to make public the names of 65 lakh people removed from the draft voter list of Bihar and the reasons for their removal. The court gave a clear order that this complete information should be made available on the commission's website at the district level by Tuesday, in which it should be clear whose name has been removed due to death, migration or duplication.

The court also said that the booth level officers will also display the list of removed voters at their level and the responsibility of its wide publicity will be carried out through TV, radio and newspapers.

The court further said that the District Election Officer should also tell about it on his social media website. People can present their claims with Aadhar card to include their names. Display the list of deleted voters in all BLOs and Panchayat offices as well.

During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that Bihar is the birthplace of democracy and transparency in the voter list is necessary. The court also asked why the list of dead, displaced or multiple registration voters is not being put directly on the website, so that the common voter can be facilitated and the negative perception can be eliminated.

Election Commission lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi said that as of April 1, 2025, the total number of voters in Bihar was 7.89 crore, out of which 7.24 crore filled the forms, while 65 lakh names have been excluded from the draft list, of which 22 lakh have been declared dead. Dwivedi clarified that no one's name has been removed from the draft roll without reason and those who have only filled the forms will have to submit the documents in August. The court directed that the list of deleted voters be displayed at the office of the District Election Officer, Panchayat office and BLOs and also be shared on social media so that people can submit claims along with the necessary documents to include their names.