SC Plea Challenges Bihar Voter Roll Revision

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, urging the cancellation of the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) special revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. The NGO contends that the current process, rolled out just months ahead of the state elections, could strip millions of their right to vote—particularly those from poor and marginalised communities.

Filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan, ADR’s plea criticizes the ECI's June 24 directive that requires voters—whose names are missing from the 2003 electoral list—to submit documents proving their birth details and their parents’ citizenship. Identity proofs like Aadhaar and ration cards have not been accepted under the new revision rules, which ADR argues puts an unfair burden on the citizens.

“The Election Commission has shifted the responsibility of proving voter eligibility from the state to the people. In doing so, it has ignored widely held and accepted identification documents, making the poor and disadvantaged especially vulnerable,” the petition states.

Violation of Constitutional Rights?
ADR claims this move violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution and is in contradiction to Article 326, which governs adult suffrage in India. It accuses the ECI of acting arbitrarily and without adequate justification, especially since a regular summary revision was already completed between October 2024 and January 2025.

“The timing of this revision is highly questionable, especially as elections are scheduled in November 2025. There’s no plausible reason for such a drastic and rushed update,” the plea added.

Ground Reality in Bihar
With high poverty and migration rates in Bihar, many residents—particularly from SC, ST, and migrant worker communities—struggle to access official documents like birth certificates or parental IDs. The stringent rules under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) are expected to leave out over 3 crore voters, ADR estimates.

Recent field reports from Bihar indicate that villagers and poor urban populations are being excluded from the updated rolls. Critics argue that this will compromise free and fair elections and undermine democratic participation.

ECI Defends the Process
In its defense, the Election Commission said over 6.86 crore enumeration forms have already been distributed, covering 87% of Bihar’s 7.9 crore voters. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have reportedly visited over 1.5 crore households as of July 4.

This is the first such revision in Bihar since 2003. Voters who don’t appear on the 2003 rolls are being asked to submit one of 11 approved documents to establish their date and place of birth.

Nationwide Expansion Planned
Though currently underway only in Bihar, the ECI has indicated that this exercise may be replicated nationwide, drawing concerns from several quarters.

As the Supreme Court gears up to hear the petition, the controversy has sparked a broader debate on the balance between electoral integrity and voter accessibility—especially in India’s most vulnerable regions.