The Supreme Court on Monday (February 9, 2026) said the Election Commission (EC) is using “very restrictive” software tools, at least in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, with scant tolerance for “natural” differences and inconsistencies commonly found in India, including Bengali households.
“Tools applied by you in your software appear to be very restrictive tools. They are eliminating natural differences. Surnames are of various forms — ‘Roy’, ‘Ray’... There is a common practice of ‘Kumar’ being a middle name in Bengali households. Now, if there is an omission of ‘Kumar’, notice is given?” Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked the EC’s counsel, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu.
