Associate Professor, Rampur College of Law, Milak, Rampur (UP) India
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Electoral Roll Reforms in India: The Bihar SIR Controversy, Judicial Oversight, and the Road to 2026
International Journal of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Commerce International Open Access, Peer-reviewed, Refereed Journal
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10.65919/ijahssc.2026.v2i1008
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Abstract
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar (2025–2026) emerged as a watershed moment in Indian electoral jurisprudence, exposing the fragile intersection of administrative efficiency, political neutrality, and constitutional rights. While the exercise aimed to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries, it resulted in the deletion of over 65 lakh names—many without prior notice or adequate verification—triggering nationwide protests, multiple Supreme Court interventions, and a fundamental rethinking of voter roll management. This paper updates the original 2025 analysis with critical developments, including the Supreme Court’s landmark order mandating public disclosure of deleted names, the government’s proposed Electoral Roll Management Bill (2026), and the adoption of biometric and AI-driven verification systems. Drawing on comparative practices from Canada, Australia, and the UK, the study argues that India must transition from periodic, politically sensitive revisions to a continuous, technology-enabled, and judicially supervised voter roll system. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations for legislative reform, institutional transparency, and citizen-centric grievance redressal, positioning electoral integrity as a non-negotiable pillar of India’s democratic future.
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Received
11 November 2025
Accepted
22 December 2025
Published
06 December 2025
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© 2026 The Author(s). The author(s) retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .
How to Cite
Singh, M. (2026). Electoral Roll Reforms in India: The Bihar SIR Controversy, Judicial Oversight, and the Road to 2026. International Journal of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Commerce, 2(1), 57-62. https://doi.org/10.65919/ijahssc.2026.v2i1008
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References
Showing first 3 references. Click “Show All References” to view complete list.
- 1. Constitution of India, Art. 14, 324, 325, 326.
- 2. Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Act No. 43 of 1950).
- 3. Representation of the People Act, 1951 (Act No. 43 of 1951).
- 4. Electoral Roll Management Bill, 2026 (Draft, introduced in Parliament, 2026).
- 5. Election Commission of India. (2025). Manual for Electoral Roll Management. New Delhi:
- ECI.
- 6. Election Commission of India. (2026). Annual Report on Electoral Roll Management
- 2025–2026. New Delhi: ECI.
- 7. Lallu Yeshwant Singh v. Union of India, (2021) 8 SCC 206.
- 8. Kanwar Lal Gupta v. Union of India, (2019) 12 SCC 298.
- 9. In re: Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar, Supreme Court of India,
- Order dated August 14, 2025.
- 10. In re: Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar, Supreme Court of India,
- Order dated January 15, 2026.
- 11. In re: Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar, Supreme Court of India,
- Order dated May 10, 2026.
- 12. Patna High Court Orders (various, 2025–2026) on individual deletion petitions.
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