Supreme Court Allows Voting for Citizens Cleared by Tribunals in West Bengal SIR Case

The Supreme Court directed that voters in West Bengal, cleared by appellate tribunals at least two days before the upcoming State Assembly elections, must be allowed to vote.

Exercising inherent powers under Article 142, the bench ordered the Election Commission to issue supplementary electoral rolls for those cleared by April 21 or April 27.

The ruling follows the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which saw judicial officers decide 60 lakh objections.

The Court clarified that while cleared individuals gain voting rights, mere pendency of an appeal does not entitle a person to vote.

[Mostari Banu v. Election Commission of India]