West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court mulls having tribunals first hear deleted voters seeking re-inclusion
The Supreme Court of India has suggested that Appellate Tribunals should prioritize hearing appeals from voters deleted from the West Bengal electoral rolls. With over 38 lakh appeals pending, the court aims to address the backlog to ensure disenfranchised citizens can participate in upcoming municipal elections.
Why it matters
This case addresses fundamental democratic rights and the administrative challenges of maintaining accurate electoral rolls in a large-scale democracy.
The Supreme Court on Friday (October 9, 2026) orally suggested that lakhs of voters seeking inclusion in the West Bengal electoral roll deserved to be heard first, while appeals for exclusion pending before the Appellate Tribunals could be heard last.
An affidavit filed by the Election Commission of India (EC) in the Supreme Court in September 2026 revealed that more than 22 lakh voters purged from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, on grounds such as “logical discrepancies,” had filed appeals challenging their exclusion.
The EC affidavit had said that 16.10 lakh appeals had been filed against inclusion. The poll body had said a total of 38.31 lakh appeals were filed in the tribunals in the State.
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