No Appeals Filed Against Voter Deletions in Bihar as Supreme Court Hearing Approaches

New Delhi:

The Election Commission announced on Wednesday that not a single voter has filed an appeal regarding wrongful removal of names from electoral rolls, just one day before a critical Supreme Court hearing on the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Bihar.

According to the Commission's statement, no appeals have been submitted under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act.

The commission shared on X (formerly Twitter) that despite numerous reports claiming voter deletions, not a single appeal was registered with any District Magistrate across all 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar as of October 8, 2025.

A document released by Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer displayed zeros against all 38 districts in the state, which is scheduled for assembly elections next month.

During Tuesday's hearing, the Supreme Court questioned why voters whose names were removed couldn't simply file appeals for reinstatement. The bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also inquired why no individuals claiming wrongful deletion had appeared before the court.

Justice Surya Kant requested advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the Association of Democratic Reforms, to provide examples of at least 100-200 people demonstrating wrongful deletion of voters from vulnerable social groups.

Senior advocate AM Singhvi, representing one of the petitioners, argued that inadequate communication from officials has rendered the appeal process ineffective.

"People whose names are deleted do not receive notice of their removal. They do not get the reasons for it. There is no chance to appeal because no one knows they have been removed. The least they can do is inform them," Singhvi stated.

He emphasized that without official notification of removal, it's unreasonable to expect voters to pursue legal remedies or approach the District Magistrate for corrections.

Advocate Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission, contested Singhvi's claims, asserting that removed voters had been properly notified and that the redressal system was functioning effectively.

This case holds significant importance as Bihar approaches elections, with approximately 3.66 lakh names reportedly removed from voter rolls. The Election Commission maintains these deletions represent deceased voters, those who relocated, or individuals registered elsewhere.

The Supreme Court has directed the commission to submit an affidavit regarding these deletions.

Sources within the Election Commission informed NDTV that of the 3.66 lakh deletions, around 3.3 lakh were executed based on Form 7, which is utilized for voter deletion and transfer. The matter is scheduled for review on October 9.