The Supreme Court on Friday (April 24, 2026) told a group of over 65 West Bengal poll duty officers, excluded from the electoral roll on the ground of logical discrepancies in their personal details during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, to pursue their appeals before the Appellate Tribunals.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant did not intervene on their petition seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to permit them to vote in the Assembly polls during the pendency of their appeals.
The petitioners, led by Md. Tohidul Islam, said they were government employees formally appointed by the District Election Officers to function as polling and presiding officers during the West Bengal elections.
“The petitioners are deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission itself for the duration of the election. They are thus officers of the Election Commission, conducting the election on its behalf, whilst being simultaneously excluded from participating in it as voters,” the petition said.
Senior advocate M.R. Shamshad and advocate Aditya Samaddar, appearing for the petitioners, said they had valid and unique Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers and that their names appeared in the 2002 electoral roll. They said their appointment orders expressly recorded their EPIC numbers, identifying them as registered electors on the rolls of their respective constituencies.
