West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court mulls having tribunals first hear deleted voters seeking re-inclusion

In a recent oral mention at the Supreme Court on October 9, 2026, the Court suggested that over 22 lakh voters excluded from the West Bengal electoral roll due to discrepancies should be prioritized for inclusion. The Election Commission of India (EC) revealed that 16.10 lakh appeals had been filed against their exclusion, while a total of 38.31 lakh appeals were lodged in the 19 Appellate Tribunals, with only 3% cleared to date.

Congress leader Prasenjit Bose argued that the backlog will take more than 12 years to clear at the current rate. The petitioners emphasized that voters had missed both the Assembly elections in May 2026 and recent by-elections. Advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Prashant Bhushan, and Neha Rathi urged the Court to allow these voters to participate in the upcoming Municipal elections in November 2026, regardless of appeal status.

Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi acknowledged the tribunals' delays and the need for technological and methodological improvements, promising to address the issue at a priority listing scheduled for October 16, 2026.