Overview
- The Calcutta High Court asked the SIR Appellate Tribunal to expedite appeals by an Agniveer candidate and his father after police declined to process a fresh Police Clearance Certificate because their names were deleted from the electoral roll.
- Following the court's request, the SIR Appellate Tribunal granted relief to the recruit, which enabled police to resume processing the PCC required for his appointment in the Indian Army.
- State counsel had told the High Court that police would not issue the PCC until the SIR appeals were decided and assured the court the certificate would be issued expeditiously after verification.
- The Supreme Court has already ruled that deletion under the Special Intensive Revision affects only electoral rolls and is not a determination of citizenship made under the Citizenship Act.
- The tribunal order resolved this candidate's case but did not settle the broader legal dispute over whether authorities may withhold passports or clearances based solely on SIR deletions, a problem that has begun to produce more similar refusals and further litigation.