SC denies interim voting rights to electorate deleted from Bengal SIR

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to allow lakhs of voters, whose names were deleted from electoral rolls in West Bengal, to cast their ballots, warning against overburdening appellate tribunals ahead of polling. The state will vote in two phases on April 23 and 29. Names of 90.66 lakh voters were removed during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
During the proceedings, Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee said that at least 1.6 million appeals have been filed, and they should be allowed to vote in the two-phase assembly election due later this month. In response, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "That is entirely out of the question. If we were to permit this, then the voting rights of the individuals involved would have to be suspended."
Justice Joymalya Bagchi said there are 3.4 million appeals in the SIR exercise, and added that a report submitted by the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice clearly stated this data. The judges signalled the need to strike a middle ground. “We will try to create a via media between your right and the need for verification,” the bench said. Justice Joymalya Bagchi pointed out that existing rules already provide for corrections once appeals are decided, with electoral registration officers required to amend rolls accordingly.