Retired HC judge to move tribunal after name removed from Bengal voter list

Calcutta High Court’s retired judge and West Bengal Waqf Board chairperson Shahidullah Munshi claimed that his name has been deleted after judicial scrutiny of the electoral rolls, and has decided to move an appellate tribunal.  The exclusion came to light after the publication of the first supplementary list of ‘under-adjudication’ voters on Monday.

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.

According to official data released on February 28, 63.66 lakh names, around 8.3 per cent of the electorate, have been deleted since the Special Intensive Revision (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.

The Election Commission has not issued any official statement on the matter so far. Meanwhile, a senior 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.