Supreme Court allows voters excluded from Bihar draft roll to file claims online with Aadhaar or any of 11 documents
The Supreme Court on 22 August 2025 directed the Election Commission to let voters excluded from Bihar's draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) file claims online as well as physically, with Aadhaar or any one of 11 prescribed documents.
Summary
The Supreme Court on 22 August 2025 directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow voters excluded from Bihar's draft electoral roll in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to submit claims through online mode besides physical submission. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed claim forms to be submitted with an Aadhaar card or any one of the 11 documents accepted in the SIR. The court directed booth-level agents of political parties to help the roughly 65 lakh persons left out of the draft rolls, other than those dead or who had migrated, file claims by the 1 September cutoff, and ordered that the parties be impleaded in the case. The ECI told the bench that about 85,000 excluded voters had submitted claim forms.
Key facts
- Date
- 22 Aug 2025
- Bench
- Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi
- Mode
- Claims online or physical; physical form not mandatory
- Documents
- Aadhaar card or any one of 11 prescribed documents
- Excluded from draft
- About 65 lakh persons
- Cutoff
- 1 Sep 2025
- Parties
- Booth-level agents to assist; parties impleaded
- ECI data
- About 85,000 excluded voters had filed claims
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Which Supreme Court bench on 22 August 2025 allowed voters excluded from Bihar's draft roll to file claims online with Aadhaar?
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Correct answer: A — Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi allowed claim forms to be submitted online with an Aadhaar card or any one of the 11 accepted documents.
By which cutoff date did the Supreme Court want booth-level agents to help excluded Bihar voters file their claims, as per its 22 August 2025 order?
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Correct answer: C — 1 September 2025
The court directed booth-level agents of political parties to help the roughly 65 lakh persons excluded from the draft rolls submit objections by the cutoff date of 1 September.
Consider the following statements about the Supreme Court's Bihar SIR order of 22 August 2025: 1. Excluded voters may submit claims with an Aadhaar card or any one of the 11 prescribed documents. 2. Physical submission of the claim form was made mandatory even for online applicants. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Statement 1 is correct: claims may be filed with an Aadhaar card or any one of the 11 documents. Statement 2 is incorrect: the court clarified that persons may apply online and that physical submission is not necessary.