Overview
- The Supreme Court on 27 May validated the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, endorsing the commission’s goal of restoring roll accuracy while saying hardship must be mitigated by safeguards.
- Tribunals have seen large numbers of appeals against deletions, with about 25 lakh cases pending in West Bengal and tribunal data to May 14 showing 61% of disposed appeals led to restorations.
- The high restoration rate suggests many people were wrongly removed and were unable to vote in April’s Assembly polls because their names were missing from the rolls.
- Practical remedies are complex and document‑heavy: civil groups published an 82‑page citizen handbook to guide appeals and experts warn poorer and marginalized voters face the greatest barriers to getting readmitted.
- With the court’s ruling enabling wider use of SIR, expect more roll revisions, heavier tribunal backlogs, and renewed scrutiny of how administrative safeguards will be enforced to protect enfranchisement.