The top court responded in the same manner as it had for the estimated 27.1 lakh men and women left in limbo this month while hearing pleas against the deletion of their names from the voter list. The officials were directed to the appellate tribunal and informed that they too would not be able to vote in this election.
The development triggered a sharp response from Senior Advocate MR Shamshad, who highlighted the gravity of the situation. “These are 65 petitioners who are on election duty... their duty orders mention EPIC (voter ID) numbers. But now those numbers have been deleted. Now the persons conducting this election cannot vote! This is arbitrary... many were not given reasons,” he argued, echoing widespread complaints from the 27.1 lakh voters who discovered their names missing from the rolls.
Chief Justice Surya Kant, responding to the plea, directed the petitioners to pursue their case before the appellate tribunal. Reinforcing this position, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, also part of the bench, stated, “Appropriate orders will be passed by the tribunal... in this election, yes, perhaps they can't vote. But the more valuable right to remain on the rolls shall be preserved.”
The controversy over the revision of voter lists has intensified across poll-bound states, beginning with Bihar last year and extending to Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala this year. The opposition has accused the Election Commission and the BJP of colluding to disenfranchise lakhs of voters, particularly from marginalised communities, who might otherwise support them.
The first phase of the Bengal election was conducted on Thursday, recording a headline voter turnout of 92.8 per cent. However, experts have argued that the removal of 90.8 lakh voters from the state rolls distorted the baseline, inflating the turnout percentage. Despite this, the opposition BJP has projected the high turnout as an indication of massive anti-incumbency ahead of Phase 2.
The denial of voting rights to officials tasked with conducting the election underscores the deepening crisis surrounding electoral roll revisions, raising critical questions about administrative transparency, voter inclusion, and the integrity of the democratic process
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