Former Judge's Name Removed from West Bengal Voter List Amid Controversy

Sahidullah Munshi, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, has had his name removed from the West Bengal voter list during the electoral roll revision process. He expressed shock and humiliation over the deletion, stating that he had submitted all necessary documents. While his family members' names are still under review, Munshi is preparing to appeal the decision. The situation has raised concerns about the electoral process in West Bengal, where over 61 lakh voters have been excluded. Technical issues have also plagued the Election Commission's website, causing further distress among voters. Read on for more details about this unfolding story.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 27, 2026, 13:47 IST

Controversy Surrounds Voter List Deletion

On Thursday, Sahidullah Munshi, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, revealed that his name has been removed from the voter list following the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, as reported by a local news outlet.

Currently the chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Auqaf, Munshi mentioned that while his name has been deleted, the adjudication process for his wife and elder son is still ongoing, and his younger son has applied as a new voter.

“So far, only my name has been removed,” he stated. “This situation is quite humiliating and distressing… it feels like harassment. They took my documents but did not provide a receipt,” he added.

Munshi is preparing to appeal the decision before an appellate tribunal.

Expressing his astonishment at the deletion, he noted that he had submitted all necessary documentation. “I am unsure how they reached this decision and why my name was removed,” he said. “We were not informed that additional documents were needed; had we known, we could have provided them. The list of required documents was clear, and any one of them should have sufficed.”

Despite the situation, Munshi told another media source that he does not hold anyone responsible for the removal of his name.

“I believe that due to the rushed nature of the process, they may not have thoroughly reviewed the documents,” he commented. “I provided my passport to avoid any disputes.”

He is currently awaiting an official explanation for the deletion before proceeding with his appeal.

West Bengal is one of the twelve states and Union Territories undergoing a special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

On February 28, the Election Commission released the final electoral roll for West Bengal, indicating that over 61 lakh voters had been excluded.

However, the revision process continues, with around 60 lakh cases still pending adjudication due to objections regarding their exclusion from the draft rolls published in December.

On February 20, the Supreme Court mandated the appointment of judicial officers at the district judge level to assist in completing the revision process amid tensions between the state government and the Election Commission.

Recently, a batch of names approved by these judicial officers was added to the rolls through a supplementary list. Of the 60 lakh pending cases, approximately 29 lakh have been adjudicated.

However, the Election Commission has not clarified how many voters have been added or removed from the list.

Technical Issues Reported

Earlier this week, the ruling party in West Bengal claimed that the Election Commission's website incorrectly indicated that all voters were under adjudication during the claims process of the special intensive revision, causing panic among the electorate.

Additionally, reports indicated that when the supplementary list was made available online, users experienced technical issues, including slow downloads and problems accessing PDF files. The Election Commission later confirmed that these issues had been resolved.