The Supreme Court on March 10, 2026, heard a plea challenging voter deletions during West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and directed the Election Commission to enhance logistical support for claims and objections. This follows TMC MPs' recent push for a parliamentary debate on the issue and ongoing protests led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the process, which has deleted millions of names.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi addressed submissions from senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy on the deletion of voters from West Bengal's rolls during the SIR, which began in November 2025 and has sparked widespread controversy ahead of assembly elections.
The court directed the Election Commission (EC) to provide additional logistical support for verifying claims and objections, and to ensure updated voter lists are available across all districts. The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court reported that over 10 lakh objections have been resolved, with more than 500 judicial officers from West Bengal—plus 200 from Odisha and Jharkhand—serving as Electoral Registration Officers, working extended hours including weekends.
Amid the tensions, a police complaint was filed against Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee for allegedly threatening Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a protest. The EC's full bench is in Kolkata reviewing preparations, with CEC Kumar affirming commitment to fair elections despite protests including black flags and slogans.
This Supreme Court intervention comes days after TMC MPs, including Saugata Roy, Nadimul Haque, and Saket Gokhale, submitted notices on March 9 for debates in Parliament on 'voter disenfranchisement,' highlighting deletions of over 63 lakh names (8.3% of the electorate) and millions pending adjudication.
