Retired Calcutta HC judge Shahidullah Munshi
Kolkata: After the first supplementary list of “under adjudication” voters was published on Monday, March 23, Calcutta High Court’s retired judge and West Bengal Waqf Board chairperson Shahidullah Munshi claimed that his name had been deleted and decided to move an appellate tribunal.
This comes amid the growing number of reports indicating a rise in Muslim voter names being deleted or filed under adjudication during West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process as it reaches its final stages.
Justice Munshi said the names of his wife and elder son continue to remain under adjudication.
The chairperson of the state Waqf Board also said he had appeared for the SIR hearing, submitted his passport and offered to provide his Aadhaar and PAN cards.
The retired judge said his family found their names marked as “under adjudication” in the post-SIR electoral roll published on February 28.
“My name was deleted in the first supplementary list. I have submitted all required documents, including my passport, but I received no acknowledgement,” he said on Thursday, March 26.
According to official data released on February 28, as many as 63.66 lakh names, around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the SIR process began in November last year, reducing the voter base from about 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore.
In addition, over 60.06 lakh electors have been placed in the “under adjudication” category, and the eligibility of these people as voters is being determined through scrutiny by judicial officers.
Describing the situation as distressing, he said, “So far, only my name has been deleted, while the names of my wife and son are still under consideration. This is extremely humiliating and amounts to harassment. I do not understand how the decision was taken or on what basis my name was removed.”
Munshi said he would soon move the appellate tribunal seeking restoration of his name in the electoral rolls.
The retired judge said he and his wife were earlier voters of the Bowbazar Assembly constituency and had later shifted to Entally.
The issue has triggered a political row, with the ruling Trinamool Congress criticising the Election Commission over the exclusion.
“When a former high court judge’s name is deleted from the voters’ list, one can imagine the plight of ordinary citizens, including the poor and marginalised,” a TMC leader said.
Meanwhile, West Bengal’s Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday said it has formed teams consisting of lawyers and volunteers to assist those whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls.
Md Salim, CPI(M) state secretary, said the SIR is being processed aligned with Prime Minister Modi’s “demographic mission.”
“It is a demographic mission of Narendra Modi, a part of the divisive propaganda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — raising issues like infiltration, the Rohingya and jihadis to mislead people. It is unfortunate that the Election Commission has become a part of this mission,” he said.
Multiple pockets of rural Bengal, specifically the Muslim-dominated areas, have seen major disenfranchisement, with residents claiming they ensured every step was followed but their names were still not included.
In Malad district, at least 427 voters were excluded from the first supplementary electoral roll in the Silampur 1 Panchayat of the Sujapur Assembly constituency. These individuals claimed to have attended all necessary hearings and submitted the required documents during the SIR process and yet their names did not appear on the final list.
The Election Commission has not issued any official statement on the matter so far.
Meanwhile, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said there were legal remedies available in case of discrepancies.
“If there has been any error, the person concerned can approach the tribunal as permitted by the court. The legal route is open,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
This post was last modified on March 27, 2026 6:51 pm