Justice Bhuyan’s remarks came as the Supreme Court had earlier upheld the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a move that trimmed names across three phases. The SIR has already seen 13 crore names struck from the rolls, a figure that opposition parties have called a ‘sinister’ exercise.
Bhuyan said the constitution affords no class of citizen without voting rights, citing Articles 14 and 326. He warned that any authority stripping millions of their franchise would constitute a “negation of the constitutional order.”
The court’s May ruling had declared the SIR within the poll body’s mandate and not excessive, but it also allowed the Election Commission to refer contested cases to competent authorities. In West Bengal, tribunals set up to review exclusions have ruled in favour of reinstatement in 93 % of the matters considered so far.
The judge’s speech at NALSAR University was delivered amid growing calls from opposition parties to restore all excluded names. Their petition cites that 13 crore voters were removed without notice or hearing, violating the right to equality.
While Bhuyan refrained from naming a particular authority, he demanded that any future disenfranchisement be halted and that the Supreme Court issue a directive preventing mass roll‑scrubbing. He added that the court must act swiftly to protect the enfranchised rights of those whose names were erased during the SIR process.
The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for November 12, when the Supreme Court will decide whether the SIR’s bulk exclusions can be legally reversed.