Last Supplementary List to arrive by 21 April to enable eligible voters: Supreme Court Issues Key Directions on Voter Appeals Ahead of West Bengal Polls

KalimNews, April 20, 2026, Kalimpong:  As the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 approach, with the first phase scheduled for April 23, the final supplementary list of adjudicated cases and the supplementary list of deleted voters have yet to be published for this phase. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has issued important directions to the Election Commission of India regarding voter appeals arising from the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.

On April 13, 2026, a Division Bench comprising Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi addressed petitions filed by individuals whose names had been removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal. These individuals had already approached Appellate Tribunals seeking redress.

Invoking its authority under Article 142 of the Constitution of India, the Court directed that wherever Appellate Tribunals are able to decide appeals by April 21 or April 27, for the elections to be held on April 23 and April 29 respectively, those decisions must be implemented without delay. This includes issuing supplementary revised electoral rolls and ensuring that all related voting rights are granted accordingly.

At the same time, the Court made it clear that merely having a pending appeal does not grant a person the right to vote. Allowing such a situation, the Bench observed, would create confusion and potentially lead to competing claims—where even those already listed as voters could face challenges from objectors, thereby undermining the integrity of the entire process.

The elections in West Bengal are set to be conducted in two phases, with Phase 1 on April 23 and Phase 2 on April 29, making the Court’s intervention both timely and significant.

The case itself arises from disputes surrounding the SIR process, which has drawn allegations and counter-allegations involving state officials and those deputed by the Election Commission. To ensure fairness and transparency, the Supreme Court had earlier assigned the responsibility of adjudicating claims and objections related to voter inclusion to Judicial Officers from West Bengal, supported by their counterparts from Jharkhand and Odisha.

A large number of affected individuals approached the Court seeking multiple forms of relief. These included restoration of their names to the electoral rolls, immediate operationalisation of Appellate Tribunals with both online and offline mechanisms for filing appeals, interim relief pending final decisions, and the quashing of what they described as arbitrary placement of their names in the ‘Adjudication Deleted List.’

In its assessment, the Court noted that all Appellate Tribunal members have now been fully trained and the tribunals are functioning effectively. More than 34 lakh appeals have already been filed—not only by those claiming wrongful exclusion but also by individuals challenging the inclusion of others in the revised rolls. All such cases are to be decided strictly in line with the established Standard Operating Procedure and earlier judicial directions.

The Court further emphasized that any final decision by an Appellate Tribunal—whether for inclusion or exclusion—must be implemented before the respective polling dates. This ensures that the electoral process proceeds with clarity and fairness.

Highlighting the scale of the exercise, the Bench acknowledged the extraordinary effort put in by judicial officers across states. The Court described their work as a massive undertaking completed within a remarkably short time frame, reinforcing the importance of maintaining the integrity of the process and avoiding any rollback into uncertainty.

This landmark order in Mostari Banu v. Election Commission of India underscores the judiciary’s active role in safeguarding electoral rights while ensuring that due process is upheld in one of India’s most closely watched state elections.