diff -r 5973743a52a1 Doc/library/zipfile.rst
--- a/Doc/library/zipfile.rst	Sun Mar 06 18:10:58 2011 -0600
+++ b/Doc/library/zipfile.rst	Wed Mar 09 22:52:11 2011 +0200
@@ -247,6 +247,14 @@
    :meth:`read` on a closed ZipFile  will raise a :exc:`RuntimeError`.
 
 
+.. method:: ZipFile.remove(member)
+
+   Removes the file *member* from the archive.  *member* must be the full file
+   name in the archive or a :class:`ZipInfo` object.  The archive must be open in
+   append mode. Calling :meth:`remove` on a closed ZipFile  will raise a
+   :exc:`RuntimeError`.
+
+
 .. method:: ZipFile.testzip()
 
    Read all the files in the archive and check their CRC's and file headers.
diff -r 5973743a52a1 Lib/test/test_zipfile.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_zipfile.py	Sun Mar 06 18:10:58 2011 -0600
+++ b/Lib/test/test_zipfile.py	Wed Mar 09 22:52:11 2011 +0200
@@ -1440,11 +1440,83 @@
         unlink(TESTFN2)
 
 
+class RemoveTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_simple(self):
+        fname = "foo.txt"
+        # remove with fname
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w") as zf:
+            zf.writestr(fname, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+            self.assertEqual(zf.infolist()[0].filename, fname)
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "a") as zf:
+            zf.remove(fname)
+            self.assertEqual(len(zf.infolist()), 0)
+
+        # remove with zipinfo
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w") as zf:
+            zf.writestr(fname, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+            self.assertEqual(zf.infolist()[0].filename, fname)
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "a") as zf:
+            zinfo = zf.getinfo(fname)
+            zf.remove(zinfo)
+            self.assertEqual(len(zf.infolist()), 0)
+    
+    def test_corruption(self):
+        data = bytes(list(range(100)))
+        stub_name = "firstfile"
+        stub_name_2 = "secondfile"
+        name_to_remove = "foo.txt"
+
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w") as zf:
+            zf.writestr(stub_name, data)
+            zf.writestr(name_to_remove, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+            zf.writestr(stub_name_2, data)
+
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "a") as zf:
+            zf.remove(name_to_remove)
+
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "r") as zf:
+            self.assertEqual(zf.read(stub_name), data)
+            # this read fails if the pointers weren't corrected
+            self.assertEqual(zf.read(stub_name_2), data)
+
+    def test_shrinks(self):
+        fname = "foo.txt"
+
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w") as zf:
+            zf.writestr(fname, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+        size = os.path.getsize(TESTFN)
+        with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "a") as zf:
+            zf.remove(fname)
+
+        new_size = os.path.getsize(TESTFN)
+
+        # size was 97 bytes vs 139 bytes on my machine btw
+        self.assertLess(new_size, size)
+
+    def test_verifies_requirements(self):
+        fname = "foo.txt"
+        # test no remove on closed zipfile
+        with self.assertRaises(RuntimeError):
+            zf = zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w")
+            zf.writestr(fname, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+            zf.close()
+            zf.remove(fname)
+
+        # test no remove without "a"
+        with self.assertRaises(RuntimeError):
+            with zipfile.ZipFile(TESTFN, "w") as zf:
+                zf.writestr(fname, "just add a file with a name and some data")
+                zf.remove(fname)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        unlink(TESTFN)
+
+
 def test_main():
     run_unittest(TestsWithSourceFile, TestZip64InSmallFiles, OtherTests,
                  PyZipFileTests, DecryptionTests, TestsWithMultipleOpens,
                  TestWithDirectory, UniversalNewlineTests,
-                 TestsWithRandomBinaryFiles)
+                 TestsWithRandomBinaryFiles, RemoveTests)
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     test_main()
diff -r 5973743a52a1 Lib/zipfile.py
--- a/Lib/zipfile.py	Sun Mar 06 18:10:58 2011 -0600
+++ b/Lib/zipfile.py	Wed Mar 09 22:52:11 2011 +0200
@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@
 
 
 class ZipFile:
-    """ Class with methods to open, read, write, close, list zip files.
+    """ Class with methods to open, read, write, remove, close, list zip files.
 
     z = ZipFile(file, mode="r", compression=ZIP_STORED, allowZip64=False)
 
@@ -1190,6 +1190,46 @@
         self.filelist.append(zinfo)
         self.NameToInfo[zinfo.filename] = zinfo
 
+    def remove(self, member):
+        """Remove a file from the archive. Only works if the ZipFile was opened
+        with mode 'a'."""
+
+        if "a" not in self.mode:
+            raise RuntimeError('remove() requires mode "a"')
+        if not self.fp:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                  "Attempt to modify ZIP archive that was already closed")
+        
+        # Make sure we have an info object
+        if isinstance(member, ZipInfo):
+            # 'member' is already an info object
+            zinfo = member
+        else:
+            # Get info object for member
+            zinfo = self.getinfo(member)
+
+        # To remove the member we need its size and location in the archive
+        fname = zinfo.filename
+        zlen = len(zinfo.FileHeader()) + zinfo.compress_size
+        fileofs = zinfo.header_offset
+
+        # Modify all the relevant file pointers
+        for info in self.infolist():
+            if info.header_offset > fileofs:
+                info.header_offset = info.header_offset - zlen
+
+        # Remove the zipped data
+        self.fp.seek(fileofs + zlen)
+        after = self.fp.read()
+        self.fp.seek(fileofs)
+        self.fp.write(after)
+        self.fp.truncate()
+
+        # Fix class members with state
+        self._didModify = True
+        self.filelist.remove(zinfo)
+        del self.NameToInfo[fname]
+
     def __del__(self):
         """Call the "close()" method in case the user forgot."""
         self.close()