Former Calcutta High Court judge Sahidullah Munshi, now heading the West Bengal Board of Auqaf, was shocked to find his name deleted from the electoral roll, while the names of his wife and elder son remain under adjudication despite ongoing verification.
Sahidullah Munshi a former Calcutta High Court judge and the current chairperson of the Board of Auqaf, West Bengal discovered that his name had been removed from the electoral roll after adjudication by judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta High Court.
Munshi told media over phone,
“It was shocking. While my name has been deleted after adjudication, my wife’s name and elder son’s name are still under adjudication. My younger son is a new voter who had applied through Form 6 and got his EPIC number,”
Munshi served as a judge at the Calcutta High Court from 2013 to 2020.
He added,
“We were called for hearing. Both my name and my wife’s name were there in the 2002 voters’ list. I submitted the 2002 list, my passport, PAN card and other documents. Even the ERO was surprised why I was called for hearing and assure that my name would be cleared. But then it was sent under adjudication. I don’t know how it happened,”
Following the final electoral roll publication on February 28 after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), more than six million voter claims in West Bengal were referred to judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta High Court.
Election Commission officials said that of the 3.2 million cases disposed of so far, roughly 35–40% of names have been deleted.
Munshi said,
“I have to file an appeal before the tribunal. I have not been given any reason as to why my name was deleted,”
The Election Commission of India has set up 19 appellate tribunals across West Bengal, staffed by retired judges, to hear appeals against judicial officers’ orders in cases where voters were marked under adjudication after the SIR.
He said,
“I don’t blame anyone. I think that, as everything was done in such a hurry, they may not have looked into the documents thoroughly. I submitted my passport so that it can’t be disputed,”
The Election Commission has yet to make an official comment on the issue.
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The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal entails re-verifying the electoral rolls through fresh enumeration, publishing draft rolls, and allowing claims and objections. The process has also been reviewed by the Supreme Court, which has instructed that voters be given adequate opportunity for verification and objections.
Judicial officers from three states are currently conducting the exercise, following a Supreme Court order on February 20 that took this step in response to reported non-cooperation between the state government and the Election Commission of India.