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West Bengal voters seek Supreme Court inquiry into SIR deletions

By CAShorts DeskPublished Updated Sources: The Hindu; Constitution of India; Legislative Department; ECI.

West Bengal voters seek Supreme Court inquiry into SIR deletions
Illustration (AI-generated)

Five West Bengal voters struck off the electoral roll during the special intensive revision (SIR) moved the Supreme Court on October 8, 2026, seeking a Special Investigation Team inquiry. They say they got no notice before deletion and no speaking order, and their appeals have been pending for months. Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections are tentatively due in late November.

Syllabus: GS2 · Constitution; GS2 · Separation of Powers; GS2 · Constitutional Bodies

Why it matters

A voter whose name is struck off the roll cannot vote, however long they have lived in the constituency. For these five petitioners the risk is close: they fear their appeals will not be decided before the Kolkata and Howrah municipal polls in late November. The law asks for a hearing before a living voter is removed for non-residence, and a reasoned order tells the voter why, so an appeal can answer it. Removing dead, shifted and duplicate entries keeps elections clean; removing eligible voters without notice takes away a citizen's vote. The larger question is how to clean the rolls without excluding eligible citizens.

Prelims pointers

  • Article 324: the Election Commission of India controls electoral rolls and elections to Parliament, State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President.
  • Article 325: one general electoral roll per territorial constituency; no one is excluded on grounds only of religion, race, caste or sex, ending separate electorates.
  • Article 326: adult suffrage for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections; the 61st Amendment, 1988 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
  • Article 243K, added by the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992: a State Election Commissioner appointed by the Governor conducts elections to the Panchayats; Article 243ZA adds Municipalities.
  • RPA 1950 covers seat allocation and electoral rolls; the Representation of the People Act, 1951 covers conduct of elections, members' qualifications, corrupt practices and election disputes.
  • Section 16, RPA 1950: a non-citizen, or a person declared of unsound mind by a competent court, cannot be registered as a voter.
  • Section 23, RPA 1950: an ERO may seek a voter's Aadhaar number for identity, but no name is deleted for inability to give it for sufficient cause.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the authorities that conduct elections in India, consider the following statements:

1. Article 324 vests the conduct of elections to the Municipalities in the Election Commission of India.

2. Article 243ZA vests the preparation of electoral rolls for the Municipalities in the State Election Commission.

3. The Election Commission of India conducts the elections to the offices of President and Vice-President.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

1 is incorrect: Article 324 covers Parliament, State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President, not Municipalities. 2 is correct: Article 243ZA gives municipal electoral rolls and elections to the State Election Commission of Article 243K. 3 is correct: Article 324 expressly includes the presidential and vice-presidential elections.

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