New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to extend the September 1 deadline for filing claims and objections to Bihar’s draft electoral roll, after the Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified that voters and parties can continue to file requests for inclusion, deletion, and corrections even after the cutoff date.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted that the ECI’s stance made a formal extension unnecessary, as the process of revising electoral rolls will remain open until the last date of nominations. “In light of this stand, let the claims/objections/corrections be continued to be filed,” the bench said, while directing political parties and petitioners to respond to the Commission’s note.
The order came on a plea by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which had sought an additional two weeks beyond the September 1 deadline to submit claims and objections to the voters list.
Claims Accepted Beyond Deadline
In a detailed note, the ECI said that “the filing of claims or objections or corrections is not barred after 01.09.2025. These can be submitted even after the deadline and will be considered after the electoral roll has been finalised. The process continues until the last date of nominations, and all inclusions and exclusions are integrated in the final roll.”
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, also informed the court that verification of eligibility documents for voters is ongoing and will be completed by September 25, in accordance with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule issued on June 24, 2025.
Poor Response from Political Parties
The ECI criticised political parties for their “minimal engagement” in the revision process. According to the Commission, the RJD had filed only 10 claims through its booth-level agents, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) submitted 15 claims for inclusion and 103 objections for exclusion as of August 31. No other recognised party had filed claims on behalf of voters.
“Despite around 65 lakh names being excluded from the Draft Electoral Roll due to death, permanent shifting, or duplication, only 33,351 claims have been filed. This number is negligible given Bihar’s total electorate of 7.24 crore,” the note stated.
Data from the Commission’s daily bulletin revealed that most submissions sought deletion of names. Of 128 forms filed by political parties, 103 were for deletions and only 25 for inclusions. Individuals were more proactive, filing 33,326 applications for inclusion and 2,07,565 for deletion. In addition, over 15.32 lakh applications for first-time voter registration from newly eligible citizens have been received.
No Extension to Avoid Disruption
Opposing RJD’s plea for an extension, the ECI said any change in deadlines would “disrupt the entire schedule for finalisation of the electoral roll.” The current period, from September 1 to September 25, is designated for processing claims and objections, including issuing notices and verifying doubtful cases.
“The timelines have been fixed according to the Rules, and a maximum time of 30 days has already been provided for filing claims and objections,” the ECI told the court.
The court also directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to help voters and political parties file claims online. The names and contact numbers of these volunteers are to be shared with district judges by Tuesday noon, with confidential reports to follow.
The Commission’s verification exercise is part of a comprehensive overhaul of Bihar’s electoral rolls, which are scheduled to be finalised later this month.
Also Read: Afghanistan Earthquake Claims Over 800 Lives, Rescue Operations Intensify
