Deleted West Bengal voters move SC against SIR
Voters in West Bengal whose names were removed from electoral rolls during a special intensive revision have petitioned the Supreme Court. They are seeking a Special Investigation Team inquiry, citing a lack of due process and pending appeals ahead of upcoming municipal elections.
Why it matters
This case addresses fundamental concerns regarding democratic participation and the transparency of electoral roll management in India.
Voters whose names were deleted from the West Bengal electoral roll during the special intensive revision (SIR) moved the Supreme Court on Thursday (October 8, 2026), seeking a Special Investigation Team inquiry into the process.
Ramjan Ali Molla and four others, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Neha Rathi, said their appeals against exclusion from the voter list were pending before the appellate tribunals for months.
They said uncertainty over their appeals, and that of other voters, continues even as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Howrah Municipal Corporation elections near. These polls are tentatively scheduled for late November, and the petitioners conveyed apprehensions about their inability to vote if the uncertainty prevailed.
The applicants submitted that they were issued notices and summoned for hearings for “logical discrepancies” found in their voter details. They had attended the hearings early in 2026, but their names were marked as “under adjudication”.
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