Bengal SIR: Ex-Cal HC judge marked ‘not found’, flags ‘inconsistencies’

Kolkata: Former Calcutta High Court judge Sahidullah Munshi has been reportedly marked as “not found” in West Bengal’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite submitting documents twice and undergoing verification, raising concerns over procedural gaps.

Munshi and his family were excluded from the first draft of the revised rolls. He told the media that they had submitted all required documents to the Booth Level Officer after the initial notification but found their names missing, prompting further follow-up.

Subsequently, Munshi was called to the Entally office, where officials of the Election Commission of India conducted a fresh round of document verification. “We were told it would be cleared,” he reportedly said.

However, the supplementary list brought fresh discrepancies. While his wife and son were marked “under adjudication”, Munshi himself was listed as “not found”, according to reports.

He said no reasons were communicated for the status, leaving him uncertain about the grounds for appeal. “I do not know on what basis I can approach the appellate tribunal,” he said, also pointing out that no receipts were issued for the documents he submitted. Munshi further questioned the functioning of the 19 appellate tribunals constituted for the exercise, alleging the absence of clear guidelines. “They appear to exist only on paper. I do not know whom to approach,” he said. On legal recourse, he noted that apart from alleging violation of natural justice, the only option may be to approach the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India if relief is denied.

He also flagged inconsistencies, noting that all documents were submitted together, yet resulted in differing statuses within the same family.