New Delhi: In a relief to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission (EC) to display the names of 1.25 crore voters in West Bengal on the “logical discrepancies” list at gram panchayat bhavans, block offices of talukas, and ward offices.
The poll panel had flagged approximately 1.25 crore voters during the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal ahead of Assembly elections, which must be held before May 7, 2026, when the current Assembly’s term ends.
The discrepancies include mismatches in parental names and situations where the age difference between a voter and their parent is less than 15 years or more than 50 years, based on linkage with the 2002 voter list.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Dipankar Datta, and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that voters affected by the SIR be allowed to submit documents or objections, and that offices for such submissions be set up at panchayat bhavans or block offices.
“The state government shall provide adequate manpower to the State Election Commission for deployment at panchayat bhavans and block offices. Every district must comply meticulously with EC and state government directions for smooth functioning,” the bench added.
The Supreme Court also directed the West Bengal DGP to ensure smooth operations without any law-and-order issues, noting the stress caused to over one crore people who have been notified.
The directive comes after TMC MPs Derek O Brien and Dola Sen raised concerns about alleged arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the ongoing SIR, particularly criticizing the EC for creating a new category called ‘logical discrepancies’ and issuing instructions informally through WhatsApp. The bench emphasized that official circulars must be issued, stating, “There is no question of running everything through WhatsApp.”
Notices issued during the SIR are broadly categorized as mapped, unmapped, and logical discrepancies, with the latter highlighting father’s name mismatches, parent age mismatches, and age differences of grandparents. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on February 14, 2026.
