New Delhi, April 13: The Supreme Court on Monday raised serious concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, stressing that voters have a continuing right to remain on voter lists and that this right should not be affected by the pressure of upcoming elections.
West Bengal Assembly elections are scheduled in two phases on April 23 and 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
Voters’ Rights Must Be Protected
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the right to remain on electoral rolls is both constitutional and emotional.
“We cannot get blinded by the dust and fury of impending elections,” the court said, underlining the need to safeguard voter rights. The court was hearing a petition filed by voters whose appeals against exclusion from electoral rolls are still pending. The petitioners have sought an extension of the cut-off date, arguing they should be allowed to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections if their appeals succeed.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already frozen the electoral rolls as of April 9.
Court Stresses Strong Appeal Mechanism
Justice Bagchi emphasized the need for a robust appellate system to address complaints of voters removed from the rolls. He also acknowledged that errors can occur due to the scale of scrutiny, highlighting the importance of fair review.
The bench pointed out procedural deviations in West Bengal’s SIR exercise, including the introduction of a new category called “logical discrepancy,” which was not used in other states.
The court also referred to earlier submissions by the ECI, noting that voters from older electoral lists were not required to submit documents in previous cases.