The Supreme Court addressed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, stating, “West Bengal can wait for the time being.” The court chose to focus on Bihar’s voter list issues ahead of elections, delaying West Bengal.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court announced it will not address the voter list revision issue in West Bengal while hearing a case concerning the special intensive revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.
Following the revision of voter rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) plans to conduct a similar process in other states, including West Bengal, where assembly elections are slated for 2026.
As discussions surrounding the SIR intensified, the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stated that the Election Commission (EC) possesses the residual authority to carry out such initiatives as it sees fit.
Regarding West Bengal, the Court mentioned that the state “can wait for the time being since nothing is happening there now.”
The Court remarked,
“In State of West Bengal…nothing is happening right now. West Bengal can wait for the time being…we will fix a date,”
This statement was made in response to senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress MP, who highlighted a troubling incident where three women attempted suicide by self-immolation in front of the Calcutta High Court due to fears of being removed from the voter list.
The bench remarked,
“It’s very difficult for us to examine individual claims. We will go into broad principles, which will be the same for states, subject to local conditions,”
In discussing the Bihar SIR matter, the Supreme Court noted that electoral rolls cannot remain “static” and must be revised regularly. The Court emphasized that expanding the list of acceptable identity documents from seven to eleven is indeed “voter-friendly and not exclusionary.”
Opposition leaders, including those from the RJD and Congress, along with the NGO ADR, have contested the electoral roll revision process in Bihar.
Case Title: ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AND ORS. Versus ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA, W.P.(C) No. 640/2025 (and connected cases)