Supreme Court Directs Issuance of Supplementary Electoral Roll in West Bengal to include voters whose appeals allowed

PTI, New Delhi, Apr 16, 2026 :  The Supreme Court of India has directed the Election Commission of India (EC) to issue a supplementary revised electoral roll to include the voters whose appeals against the deletion of their names are allowed by the appellate tribunals in West Bengal.

The state is scheduled to go to polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, in an order passed on April 13, said the mere pendency of appeals preferred by excluded persons before the appellate tribunals shall not entitle them to exercise their right to vote.

"We, therefore, invoke our powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India and direct the ECI that, wherever the appellate tribunals are able to decide the appeals by April 21, 2026, or April 27, 2026, as the case may be, such appellate orders shall be given effect to by issuing a supplementary revised electoral roll and all necessary consequences with respect to the right to vote shall follow.

"However, it goes without saying that the mere pendency of appeals preferred by excluded persons before the appellate tribunals shall not entitle them to exercise their right to vote," the bench said.

The court declined to entertain a plea moved by a group of 13 people seeking its intervention in the deletion of their names from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in West Bengal, where polling for the first phase of the Assembly election is scheduled be held on April 23.

The top court termed the petition "premature" and directed the aggrieved parties to approach the established appellate tribunals instead.

The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court has set up 19 tribunals headed by former high court Chief Justices and judges to decide appeals against deletion of names from the voters' list.