Supreme Court rejects West Bengal poll officers' plea on SIR roll deletions
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a petition from around 65 West Bengal election duty officers whose names were deleted from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, directed petitioners—led by Md Tohidul Islam—to approach Appellate Tribunals first. "Make these arguments before the appellate tribunal. Let the tribunal look into it," the bench said, disposing of the matter.
The officers, many serving as Presiding or First Polling Officers for the 2026 Assembly elections, alleged arbitrary deletions violated their Article 326 voting rights. They claimed ineligibility for postal ballots under Rule 18A of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, despite deployment under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The court reiterated prior rulings: excluded voters can only cast ballots if tribunals allow appeals within deadlines, with the Election Commission issuing supplementary rolls accordingly. Pendency alone confers no rights.
The plea is among several tied to West Bengal's SIR, with phase one polling held on April 23 and phase two due April 29.
(Inputs from IANS)