The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its recent special revision of the voters’ list in Bihar, telling the Supreme Court that there is no legal requirement under the Representation of People Act, 1950 or the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 to maintain or publish a separate list of individuals excluded from the draft electoral rolls, nor to provide public reasons for such exclusions, Bar and Bench reported.
Responding to a petition filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the Commission clarified that no name will be removed from the draft rolls without prior notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned order from the competent authority.
The draft electoral rolls, published on August 1, reportedly excluded nearly 65.6 lakh voters, an action that has triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties. The ECI explained that the deletions were based on verifiable reasons: 22 lakh due to deaths, 36 lakh due to permanent relocation or untraceability, and 7 lakh identified as duplicate entries.
Countering ADR’s allegation that the Commission had discontinued the practice of sharing deleted voters’ lists, the ECI stated that prior to the publication of the draft rolls, it had already shared booth-level data of individuals whose enumeration forms were not received with all recognised political parties through their district-level leadership and booth agents.
To address any omissions, the Commission noted that individuals whose names are missing can apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with a prescribed declaration by September 1. The relevant Electoral Registration Officers are required to hold hearings and provide written reasons in cases where inclusion is disputed.
In its affidavit, the ECI urged the apex court to dismiss ADR’s plea, impose costs, and initiate contempt proceedings against the petitioner, accusing the organisation of making false and misleading statements.
