The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish details of 65 lakh deleted names from the voters list with reasons of non-inclusion to enhance transparency in Bihar’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order while hearing pleas challenging the June 24 ECI decision to conduct the SIR of electoral roll in Bihar.
It directed the list of 65 lakh voters whose names featured in the electoral roll but were dropped from the draft roll published by the ECI on August 1.
The list comprising names of those who have died, migrated or moved to other constituencies was directed to be displayed along with reasons at the panchayat level office and the office of district level returning officers.
The bench further stressed on giving wide publicity via newspapers including vernacular and English dailies aside from television news channels and radio to the public informing the people about the places where the list would be available.
The top court further allowed people aggrieved by the deletion of their names to approach the poll officials along with their Aadhaar card.
The bench while posting the matter for August 22, asked the poll panel to file a compliance report of its direction.
On August 1, the reasons cited by the EC for non-inclusion of previously registered voters in the draft rolls included death (22.34 lakh), “permanently shifted/absent” (36.28 lakh) and “already enrolled (at more than one places)” (7.01 lakh).