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SC Orders ECI to Publish Names Cut from Kerala Voter Rolls, Mulls Deadline Extension

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India to publicly disclose the names of individuals excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Kerala. This order came during a hearing on petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision process, where concerns were raised about nearly 24 lakh deletions. The court suggested the ECI consider extending the deadline for filing objections to these deletions. The bench emphasized that affected individuals need access to the deletion list to effectively challenge their removal from the voter rolls.

Key Points: SC Directs ECI to Publish Kerala Voter Roll Deletions

  • SC orders public display of deleted voter names
  • ECI may extend objection deadline
  • Petitioners argued 24 lakh names deleted
  • Many wrongly marked deceased or non-resident
2 min read

SC asks ECI to publish names excluded from Kerala draft rolls, consider extending objection deadline

Supreme Court orders Election Commission to publicly list names excluded from Kerala draft electoral rolls and consider extending objection deadline.

SC asks ECI to publish names excluded from Kerala draft rolls, consider extending objection deadline
"They have to list objections, but the list of those persons deleted is not available. - Petitioner's Counsel"

New Delhi, Jan 15

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that the names of persons excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Kerala following the Special Intensive Revision be made publicly available both at local offices and on the Election Commission of India's official website.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the ongoing SIR process in the state.

During the hearing, the petitioner's side submitted that nearly 24 lakh names had been deleted in the draft rolls released by the poll body and argued that affected individuals could not file objections without a published list of those excluded.

"They have to list objections, but the list of those persons deleted is not available. Now people have to go back and file objections stating why you deleted me; that opportunity is missing for us," counsel submitted.

It was further contended that in many cases, individuals were wrongly marked as deceased or shown as residing outside Kerala.

Taking note of the submission, the apex court ordered that the names of individuals who have been excluded from the draft electoral list, if not already displayed, shall be displayed at the offices of the gram panchayat or any other public office located in the villages, and the list shall also be published on the website.

The CJI-led Bench suggested that the ECI may consider extending the deadline for filing objections to deletions.

In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court permitted petitioners seeking additional time for the SIR process of electoral rolls in Kerala to submit their representations to the ECI and directed the poll body to decide on these by December 31, 2025.

According to official figures, Kerala had 2,78,50,856 voters on the rolls before the revision. Of these, 2,54,42,352 forms have been received, accounting for a coverage of 91.35 per cent. The remaining 8.65 per cent -- around 24,80,503 voters -- are yet to submit their forms. The ECI has identified 6,49,885 voters as deceased, while 6,45,548 persons have been categorised as "untraceable" during the enumeration process. Based on the forms received, a booth-level draft list comprising about 2.54 crore voters has now been prepared and published.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good step. My uncle in Thrissur was marked as 'deceased' in some govt record last year, and it took him months to fix it. These errors cause real problems for common people. Hope the extended deadline helps.
D
David E
While the SC's direction for transparency is correct, I respectfully think the process itself seems flawed. 24 lakh deletions is a huge number. Was the 'intensive revision' done properly on the ground? The high number of 'untraceable' voters needs scrutiny.
A
Ananya R
Finally some sense! Publishing the list online and at panchayat offices is basic. Many elderly relatives in my village don't check websites, so the local display is crucial. The right to vote is fundamental.
K
Karthik V
The numbers are concerning. 6.5 lakh marked deceased and another 6.45 lakh untraceable? In a state like Kerala with high literacy and civic engagement, this seems unusually high. Hope the objection process is smooth for all affected.
S
Sarah B
A timely decision. The principle is simple: if you're removing someone's voting rights, you must tell them and give them a fair chance to appeal. This strengthens trust in the electoral system. Well done, SC.

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