KOLKATA — In a direct intervention to ensure the integrity of the democratic process, Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul convened a high-level stock-taking meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2026. This session marks the third such consultation in a single week, underscoring the urgency of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway across West Bengal. The meeting included Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal, the State Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, and other senior officials to review the progress of a massive effort to purge discrepancies from voter lists.
The involvement of the judiciary in this administrative task follows a stern directive from the Supreme Court issued on February 20. The apex court took a dim view of the state government’s failure to provide a sufficient number of Grade ‘A’ officers for the revision exercise. Consequently, Chief Justice Paul was tasked with deputing judicial officers and identifying retired judges to assist in the adjudication process. These judicial officers are now on the front lines, presiding over claims and objections for thousands of individuals currently flagged on “logical discrepancy lists.”
The focus of the SIR is particularly centered on resolving progeny-linking issues by comparing current data with the 2002 voter list. The system has flagged numerous anomalies, such as mismatches in parental names or biologically improbable age gaps between voters and their listed parents—specifically cases where the age difference is less than 15 years or exceeds 50 years. These individuals face the potential removal of their names from the electoral rolls unless they can provide satisfactory evidence to the newly deputed judicial adjudicators.
This judicial oversight is intended to bring a layer of impartiality and rigour to an exercise that has often been mired in political controversy. By utilizing the expertise of the bench, the authorities hope to ensure that no legitimate voter is disenfranchised while simultaneously scrubbing the rolls of fraudulent or erroneous entries. With the state’s top administrative and police leadership in attendance, the meeting signals a coordinated effort to meet the Supreme Court’s strict timelines and maintain public confidence in the upcoming electoral cycle.
