"Zero Appeal" On Deletions: Poll Panel Ahead Of Crucial Supreme Court Hearing

Not a single appeal has been filed by voters to point out wrongful deletion of names, the Election Commission said on Wednesday -- on the eve of a crucial hearing of the challenge to the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Bihar. 

The Commission said not one appeal has been filed under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act.

Despite numerous reports of deletions, no appeals were made to any District Magistrate across all 243 Assembly constituencies in Bihar as of October 8, 2025, the commission said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

A document the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar posted showed a row of zeroes against all 38 districts of the state, where assembly elections are due next month.

आवश्यक सूचना

बिहार राज्य में विशेष गहन पुनरीक्षण अभियान, 2025 के दौरान सभी 243 विधानसभा निर्वाचन क्षेत्रों में निर्वाचक निबंधन पदाधिकारी द्वारा निर्वाचक सूची में नाम जोड़ने एवं विलोपन के संबंध में, दिनांक 8.10.2025 तक लोक प्रतिनिधित्व अधिनियम की धारा 24(क) के तहत जिला... pic.twitter.com/bQ8czwaghV

— Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar (@CEOBihar) October 8, 2025

During the last hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court had asked why voters whose names were removed could not simply file appeals to get reinstated. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also questioned why no one claiming wrongful deletion had appeared before the court. 

Justice Surya Kant had asked advocate Prashant Bhushan, who was appearing for a petitioner -- the Association of Democratic Reforms -- to bring examples of at least 100 to 200 people to show wrongful deletion of voters from vulnerable sections of society.

AM Singhvi, a senior advocate representing one of the petitioners, said the lack of proper communication from officials has made the appeal process useless.

"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 had said.

He emphasized that unless voters are officially told about their removal, it is unrealistic to expect them to seek legal help or go to the District Magistrate for corrections.

Advocate Dwivedi, who is representing the Commission, disputed Singhvi's statement. He claimed that individuals whose names were deleted had indeed been notified and that the redressal system was fully operational.

The case is significant as Bihar approaches elections, with nearly 3.66 lakh names reportedly deleted from the rolls. The Election Commission has claimed they were voters who died, moved away or were registered in other places. 

The top court has asked the commission to submit an affidavit on the deletions. 

Sources in the poll commission have told NDTV that of the 3.66 lakh deletions, around 3.3 lakh were carried out on basis of Form 7, which is used for deletion and shifting of voters.

The matter will be reviewed on October 9.