Desk Correspondent , Kolkata - Supreme Court on Monday flagged a “logical discrepancy” in the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in West Bengal, questioning a new category that placed six million voters under scrutiny and led to the deletion of 2.71 million names. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that authorities appeared “blinded due to impending elections,” stressing that the right to vote is not merely a constitutional right but a sentimental expression of nationalism and participative democracy. Petitioners whose appeals against deletions are pending had sought an extension of the voter lists freeze ahead of the assembly polls.

The court pointed out that the “logical discrepancy” category—covering seven types of mismatches with the 2002 electoral rolls, such as age gaps and name variations—was absent in Bihar’s similar exercise and marked a departure from the ECI’s original notification. Of the nearly nine million total deletions in West Bengal, 2.71 million were removed under this category after failed adjudication. The bench urged a robust appellate mechanism, noting that each tribunal faces over a lakh appeals and judicial officers worked under intense pressure, where even 70 per cent accuracy would be commendable.

The special intensive revision began in November 2025, with draft rolls published on December 16 and freezes for the first two phases of elections announced in early April 2026. West Bengal recorded an 11.6 per cent deletion rate, third highest among nine states. The court declined to extend the freeze but clarified that successful appeals would have “necessary consequences,” directing tribunals to prioritise principles of inclusion over mechanical reviews.