The Supreme Court of India on Monday rejected a plea challenging voter list deletion ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026.
A group of 13 individuals filed the petition and sought the court’s intervention in the voter list deletion process under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal.
Supreme Court Calls Voter List Deletion Plea ‘Premature’
A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi termed the plea “premature” and directed the petitioners to approach appellate tribunals.
“Since the petitioners (Quaraisha Yeasmin and others) have already approached the appellate tribunals, in our considered view, the apprehensions expressed in the petition are premature,” the bench observed.
The court said the Calcutta High Court set up 19 tribunals to hear voter list deletion appeals.
“Every tribunal now has over one lakh appeals to handle,” the bench said, highlighting the scale of the ongoing revision process.
The petitioners argued that the Election Commission of India did not place necessary records before authorities and sought an extension of the electoral roll deadline.
“If I am not allowed to argue, then what is the use? Will these appeals be decided within a timeframe or just kept extending?” the petitioners’ counsel submitted before the court.
Justice Bagchi emphasised voter rights and said authorities must follow due process in voter list deletion cases.
“The right to vote in a country you were born in is not just constitutional, but sentimental. It is about being part of a democracy and helping elect a government,” he said.
“We need to protect due process rights. The voter should not be sandwiched between two constitutional authorities,” he added.
The bench also said elections cannot be cancelled unless large-scale voter exclusion materially affects the outcome.
Authorities will conduct polling for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 on April 23 and April 29, and they will count votes on May 4.
