Former Calcutta High Court Justice Shahidullah Munshi states that he is unable to understand on what grounds he would challenge this oversight. Justice Munshi’s name has been placed in the ‘Not Found’ category.
पश्चिम बंगाल: हाईकोर्ट के पूर्व जज शाहिदुल्लाह मुंशी का नाम वोटर लिस्ट से हटा, बोले “यह बेज़्ज़ती है” चुनाव आयोग की भूमिका पर फिर सवालिया निशान
The names of Justice Sahidullah Munshi and his family members were missing from the draft voter list released by the Election Commission on February 28. Consequently, Justice Munshi, his wife, and his sons submitted the necessary documents to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) and even appeared before officials during a hearing to ensure the verification of their documents to the authorities’ satisfaction. Despite all this, when the revised voter list was released, the status listed next to his wife’s and sons’ names read ‘Under Adjudication.’ Next to his own name—which appeared in the supplementary list—the status read ‘Not Found.’
Retired Justice Munshi made one mistake. That mistake was failing to disclose during the hearing that he had retired from the position of a High Court Judge. Speaking to the legal news website Bar & Bench, he stated that he had deliberately refrained from mentioning his former position. He remarked, “I did not want to submit any document stating that I am a retired High Court Judge, because I wanted to be treated just like any other ordinary citizen. That is precisely why I submitted all my documents—including my passport—in the standard manner.”
Justice Munshi is not the only voter facing this predicament. There are millions of voters like him whose names have been struck off the voter list, despite their having submitted all the requisite documents; yet, there is no tangible proof to attest to this fact. Furthermore, they possess no evidence to prove that they actually appeared for the hearings in response to the summons they received. Nor is there any record of the questions posed to them by the officials during the hearings, or whether they succeeded in satisfying the Election Commission officials with their responses. Justice Munshi noted, “If the Commission were to claim that my documents were not in order, I would not know how to challenge that assertion, as I was not issued any receipt.”
The final dates for filing nominations for the West Bengal Assembly elections—which are scheduled to be held in two phases—are April 8 and April 12, 2026; however, it remains unclear how, where, and when the Appellate Tribunals—constituted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives—are set to commence their operations. Justice Munshi states, “The 19 appellate tribunals that have been constituted exist merely on paper. There are no guidelines regarding how these tribunals are to function or what their scope of authority entails. I do not know whom I should approach.”
He added, “Apart from challenging this omission on the grounds of a violation of natural justice, I have no other basis upon which to approach the appellate tribunal; and should the appellate tribunal deem this insufficient, I will be compelled to move the High Court under Article 226.”
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal has been particularly chaotic, and both the Election Commission and the Supreme Court bear equal responsibility for this state of affairs. Anger and frustration are clearly palpable among the people at the grassroots level. Voters who have been unjustly excluded from the lists harbor deep resentment toward the Election Commission and its officials.
Yet, despite all this, the silence maintained by the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal continues to fuel growing discontent at the grassroots level, as Commission officials have, thus far, refused to accept any responsibility for the numerous irregularities or even offer any explanation for them.
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