A narrow but decisive window has been carved out for thousands of voters in West Bengal. The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals whose names are restored to electoral rolls by appellate tribunals at least two days before polling will be eligible to cast their ballots in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Voting in the state is slated for two phases—April 23 and April 29. This means that tribunal decisions delivered by April 21 for the first phase, and April 27 for the second, must be reflected in supplementary electoral rolls, allowing those cleared to participate in the democratic exercise.
The directive came while the Court examined challenges to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a process that has triggered widespread disputes over inclusion and deletion of names. The revision exercise, marked by tension between authorities, was earlier entrusted to judicial officers from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha after concerns over a breakdown of trust surfaced.
Nearly 900 judicial officers were deployed, handling an enormous volume of objections. About 60 lakh cases were examined, resulting in roughly 27 lakh names being excluded from the rolls. To handle grievances, appellate tribunals were later constituted, and around 19 such bodies are now hearing appeals.
Clarifying the immediate electoral impact, the Court stated that whenever an appellate tribunal issues a final direction on inclusion or exclusion within the stipulated timeline, the Election Commission must implement it through a supplementary revised roll. However, it drew a firm line: merely filing an appeal does not grant voting rights. Only those whose appeals are decided in their favour before the deadline will be eligible.
The bench declined requests for interim relief from individuals seeking restoration of their names while appeals remain pending. Granting such relief, it noted, could invite counter-demands to block voters already included in the rolls, effectively plunging the process back into uncertainty.
The Court also reviewed the functioning of the appellate tribunals and noted that training had been completed and operational procedures finalised. With more than 34 lakh appeals already filed, the tribunals have been directed to adjudicate them in line with the established guidelines.
While setting the ground rules, the Court also acknowledged the scale of the exercise carried out by judicial officers, describing their effort—completed within a tight timeframe—as an extraordinary administrative undertaking.
