The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear the matter relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal on October 16. The Court will consider whether voters who were excluded during the SIR process and who have filed appeals against such exclusion should be permitted to vote in the upcoming municipal elections in the State.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana advanced the hearing date, noting concerns that voters whose appeals against exclusion remain pending may be deprived of their franchise in the November municipal elections if the matter is not addressed in time.
During the proceedings, the Court indicated it was considering prioritising appeals seeking inclusion in the electoral rolls over those seeking deletion of voters. Chief Justice Surya Kant stated that appeals filed by persons seeking deletion of voters could be pushed back and taken up at the last stage, reflecting a provisional view on the sequencing of such matters.
The Court was informed that more than one lakh appeals seeking inclusion in the electoral rolls had already been decided, with 93% of the applicants found eligible for inclusion. Approximately 1.70 lakh appeals remain pending, as communicated to the Court by counsel appearing in the matter.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, urged the Court to prioritise appeals concerning voters in municipal areas where elections are scheduled for November. He emphasized that tribunals would require adequate time to decide these appeals and pointed out that election notifications would need to be issued by November 15, creating a temporal constraint on the resolution of pending claims.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, also appearing in the case, highlighted the practical consequence of delay, stating that voters whose appeals remained undecided risked being unable to participate in the upcoming municipal elections. He framed the issue as one of whether such voters, described as 'deleted voters' on whose behalf petitions had been filed, would be able to exercise their franchise given the pendency of their appeals before the tribunals.
The Court acknowledged the concern and stated it was already examining whether a solution could be formulated at the next hearing. It did not pass any interim order or direction at this stage, limiting its observation to acknowledging the issue and confirming the date for further hearing.
The matter arises in the context of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls conducted in West Bengal, a periodic exercise aimed at updating the electoral list. The current dispute centres on the fate of voters excluded during this process whose appeals against exclusion are still under adjudication by the relevant tribunals.
No findings were recorded on the merits of the exclusion or the validity of the appeals. The Court’s remarks were confined to procedural considerations regarding the timing of the municipal elections and the pendency of appellate proceedings.
The hearing is scheduled for October 16, 2026, before the same Bench.