No deletion of name from Bihar draft electoral roll without notice, reasoned order:EC to SC
New Delhi(PTI): The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that there would be no deletion of any voter's name from the draft electoral roll in Bihar without issuance of prior notice, affording opportunity of being heard and a reasoned order.
The poll panel also said that statutory framework does not require it to prepare or share any separate list of names of people not included in the draft electoral rolls, or publish the reasons for non-inclusion of anyone in the draft rolls for any reason.
The EC filed an additional affidavit in the apex court on Saturday, days after it came out with the much-anticipated draft electoral rolls in Bihar, enlisting 7.24 crore voters but knocking off more than 65 lakh names, claiming that most of the persons concerned had died or migrated.
Separately, the EC also filed its reply to an application filed by the petitioner seeking direction to the poll panel to publish a full and final assembly constituency and part/booth wise list of names and details of approximately 65 lakh electors whose enumeration forms were not submitted along with reasons for non-submission.
A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant is hearing the pleas against the EC's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
In its additional affidavit, the poll panel said the first stage of SIR was completed and draft electoral roll was duly published on August 1.
"It is further submitted that, as a matter of policy and in strict adherence to the principles of natural justice, no deletion of any elector's name from the draft electoral roll, published on August 1, 2025, shall be undertaken without: (i) issuance of a prior notice to the concerned elector indicating the proposed deletion and the grounds thereof, (ii) affording a reasonable opportunity of being heard and furnishing relevant documents, and (iii) passing of a reasoned and speaking order by the competent authority," it said.
It said these safeguards are further reinforced by a robust two-tier appeal mechanism prescribed under the relevant rules, thereby ensuring that every elector has adequate recourse against any adverse action.
The EC said to ensure that no wrongful deletion from the draft rolls was carried out, strict directions were issued to prevent deletion without notice and a speaking order by the competent authority, with provision for appeals under section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
The poll panel said it is taking every possible step to ensure that no eligible elector is excluded from the electoral roll.
In its separate reply, the poll panel said, "It is submitted that the statutory framework does not require the respondent (EC) to prepare or share any separate list of names of people not included in the draft electoral rolls, or publish the reasons for non-inclusion of anyone in the draft electoral rolls for any reason".
"As neither the law nor guidelines provide for preparation or sharing of any such list of previous electors whose enumeration form is not received for any reason during the enumeration phase, no such list can be sought by the petition as a matter of right," it said.
The poll panel said exclusion of a name from draft electoral roll does not amount to deletion of an individual from electoral rolls.
It said draft roll simply showed that duly filled enumeration form of existing electors has been received during enumeration phase.
"But, on account of human involvement in execution of this exercise of scale, there is always a possibility that an exclusion or inclusion might surface due to inadvertence or error," it said.
The EC said prior to publication of draft electoral roll, it had directed the CEO and others to share with political parties the booth-level list of individuals whose enumeration forms were not received due to any reason and seek their assistance for reaching out to them.
It alleged that the petitioner's approach was consistent with its earlier attempts to malign EC by building false narratives on digital, print and social media.
"Such attempts should be appropriately dealt with by this court, and heavy costs should be imposed for petitioner's attempts to deliberately mislead this court," it said.
The poll panel said admittedly, after the publication of draft rolls, political parties were supplied with an updated list of names of electors not included in draft roll so as to ensure that all attempts are made to reach out to them.
"The political parties have acknowledged receipt of the said list," it said.
The EC said, "In yet another attempt to mislead this court, the petitioners emphatically assert that a person whose name has been excluded from the draft roll has no recourse to a remedy as he/she cannot file a claim or objection".
Referring to detailed guidelines of SIR order of June 24, the poll panel said it expressly provides for inclusion of individuals whose enumeration forms have not been submitted within the specified time.
On August 6, the apex court had asked the EC to furnish by August 9 the details of around 65 lakh electors left out from the draft electoral rolls.
NGO 'Association For Democratic Reforms', which has challenged the EC's June 24 order directing for SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, has filed a fresh application seeking direction to publish names of around 65 lakh deleted voters with the mention whether they are dead, permanently migrated or not considered for any other reason.
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Last Chance to Score 99%ile in CAT 2026: Strategy, Guide and Top Coaching
You are 6-7 months away from appearing for the CAT 2026 exam. We know that this sounds a little overwhelming for many candidates, but if you are a candidate who has not yet started their CAT preparation, then this time is the peak where you can make a right go-for-it strategy for cracking such a competitive exam in nature for the management domain. Many candidates are new to this preparation journey, but the best part is there are several strategies, guides and top resources that are really helpful to you if you select the right platform to start with.
You will see around many candidates who might be scared of VARC/DILR/QA, as per their interests. Maybe if VARC is easy for someone but the others are altered, they get stuck for the other two sections or vice versa. This article comes with a strategy that helps you to choose the right resources to continue your CAT 2026 preparation even if you haven’t started yet.
When you are preparing for the competitive exams like the Common Admission Test, there are several resources that you should keep in mind, including the peer-learning environment in the form of the largest community, the best CAT online coaching in India and more. Have seen around many aspirants get attracted towards iQuanta’s CAT preparation community to start their journey with. Let’s discuss the strategy to start with the CAT preparation journey in a detailed manner.
How Can You Start Your CAT 2026 Preparation?
The Common Admission Test is highly competitive in nature because the top IIMs or B-schools in India accept candidates based on various parameters, and the selection probability is also very low. The initial preparation plan for the CAT exam requires the understanding of the CAT syllabus in depth across the VARC, DILR and QA. As per the past year's CAT exam paper, the VARC section comprises 24 questions, followed by 22 questions in DILR and 22 questions in QA.
There are several points mentioned here that are really helpful for you during CAT preparation:
- Understanding the CAT syllabus in-depth across the VARC, DILR and QA. With what are the weightage covered across sections and majorly focused domain.
- The QA section requires rigorous practice from the candidates across important sections, including Arithmetic, Algebra, Modern Maths, Geometry and Number System. Among all the topics, Arithmetic and Algebra both considered as super important for the candidates that they should not afford to left while preparing for the CAT 2026. Because as per the past year CAT exam analysis, major questions appeared from these sections only.
- Next comes the other important section, i.e., LRDI. This section comprises logical sets which can be tackled if practice sessions are taken into consideration properly. Candidates can plan the consistent preparation strategy across Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation.
- VARC is further classified as Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. The main strategy for covering this section is by building daily reading habits and solving PYQs, which really matters the most.
Step-by-Step CAT 2026 6-7 Month Preparation Guide
6-7 months is all you have got for your CAT 2026 target 99%ile. With little time left, it is important to move in the right direction and start preparing now. Based on iQuanta CAT toppers' preparation strategies, which helped them attain their dream IIMs and top B-schools, here is a step-by-step CAT 2026 6-7 month preparation guide.
Step 1 - Identify your weak areas and take a trial mock test to see where you stand.
Step 2 - Live classes are really helpful for you to explore topics for consistent preparation across the section. iQuanta uses the dual-pedagogy approach to a streamlined preparation strategy for candidates.
Step 3 - Build conceptual clarity, work on your weak areas and develop problem-solving speed to boost your confidence.
Step 4 - Join an online CAT community, resolve your doubts online, take help of online mentorship, and analyse mock tests to reduce mistakes and improve performance. Among candidates, iQuanta’s largest CAT preparation community is popular and overall builds the peer-learning environment.
Step 5 - Remain consistent by following a proper preparation schedule, staying motivated and utilising different types of resources available through the top coaching.
How the Best CAT Coaching Impacts Your CAT 2026 Preparation?
The CAT exam is written by students as well as working professionals across the domains. But planning a proper strategy is quite different as per the candidate. The working professional might not be able to give sufficient time due to workload in comparison to students. This is the main reason the CAT online coaching is a strategic approach for aspirants to be consistent, even if they get stuck due to any reason, to ensure smooth preparation. Now what are the major point that candidates should verify while starting their CAT preparation with the top CAT coaching in India. The following pointers needed to be covered, including the 24/7 doubt-solving support, specialized modules which help to build strong basics across the sections, top faculty across the domain, and outstanding results.
iQuanta is highly popular among the candidates for CAT preparation due to their dual-pedagogy teaching methodology, maximum number of 99+%ilers which resulted in an amazing performance, and more.
They have specialized modules such as Engineer’s VARC, Non-Engineer’s QA and LRDI Essentials, which are highly helpful for the candidates if they find difficulties building a strong foundation across the section. With such important resources it is quite important for the candidates that they should explore top CAT faculty at iQuanta, including Amit Panchmatia sir (CAT QA 100%iler & LLRDI 99%iler), Shabana ma’am (CAT VARC 99.5%iler), Raj Kumar Jha sir (6 times CAT QA 100%iler) and more.
Wrapping Up!
Preparing for the CAT exam is a strategic process but can be simplified if you take the right resources into consideration. So, balance across the section is quite important for the candidates to consider during CAT 2026 preparation. This is the best time when candidates can strategise their preparation journey with consistency with the help of the best CAT online coaching in India.
