Kapil Sibal Says He Has Lost Faith in Supreme Court Over Voter Deletion Cases
Senior advocate questions lack of relief in SIR related cases, citing tribunal findings that 93% of decided appeals in West Bengal resulted in restoration of voters' names
New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has expressed frustration with the Supreme Court’s handling of cases concerning alleged wrongful voter deletions, saying he has lost confidence in obtaining relief despite repeatedly approaching the court.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Sibal said he believed the Supreme Court remained the institution capable of protecting the Constitution, but questioned whether repeated legal appeals over electoral roll irregularities were producing results.
“If anybody can save the Constitution in these times, it is the Supreme Court of India. But I am tired of keeping on going to the Supreme Court,” Sibal said, adding that he had little hope of securing relief from the institution.
Sibal was referring to petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He claimed that lawyers had repeatedly presented evidence of voters being wrongly removed or included in electoral lists, but the court had not granted the relief they sought.
To support his argument, Sibal cited findings from appellate tribunals in West Bengal, where 93% of the appeals decided so far had reportedly resulted in the restoration of voters’ names. He questioned why the concerns raised over voter deletions had not led to more effective intervention by the Supreme Court.
The 93% figure relates to appeals decided by the tribunals and should not be interpreted as representing all voters whose names were removed during the revision exercise.
Sibal’s remarks came amid protests and legal challenges over the SIR process, with opposition parties and civil society groups raising concerns about alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is intended to improve the accuracy of voter lists.
He also criticised the restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the October 10 protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Sibal questioned the need for extensive security measures and alleged that protesters had faced detention and restrictions on movement. These concerns have also featured in legal proceedings before the Supreme Court.
The dispute over SIR has intensified scrutiny of the electoral roll revision process, the functioning of the Election Commission and the remedies available to voters who challenge their exclusion from electoral lists.