SC asks Bengal tribunals to accord urgent hearing on pleas against deletion from voter list

PTI, April 24, 2026, New Delhi:  The Supreme Court of India on Friday asked the appellate tribunals to give out-of-turn hearing to those who make out a case of urgent hearing against deletion from voter lists after the special intensive revision of rolls in West Bengal.

At the start of the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed happiness over the high voter turnout in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly polls held on Thursday. West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of 92.72 per cent in the first phase of voting for 152 constituencies. "As a citizen of India, I was very happy to see the voting percentage. When people exercise the right to vote, this strengthens democratic set up," the CJI said.

The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, was hearing a batch of petitions, including the one filed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee related to the SIR of electoral rolls in the state.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also hailed the high voter turnout besides commending the role of central forces in ensuring peaceful elections in the state, which has a history of violence-hit elections in the past.

The apex court also asked the persons excluded from the voter lists to approach the court-appointed 19 appellate tribunals for redressal of pending issues, including the deletion of names from the voters list. It asked the appellate tribunals to give out-of-turn hearing to those who make out a case of urgent hearing for addition in voter lists.

On the issue of exclusion or inclusion in the voter lists, the CJI also granted the liberty to aggrieved persons to approach the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice on the administrative as well as judicial side for redressal of grievances.