A group of twelve tribunal judges in West Bengal has formally raised concerns regarding the functionality of the Election Commission (EC) of India’s digital portal. According to the report, these judicial officials have identified a significant technical barrier that hinders their ability to perform their duties effectively: the inability to restore names of voters who have been removed from the electoral rolls.

Under current election protocols, tribunal judges are tasked with overseeing disputes related to voter registration and electoral integrity. However, the judges report that the EC portal lacks the necessary administrative permissions or functional pathways to reinstate voters once they have been marked as deleted. This creates a procedural deadlock where judges may identify an error in the deletion process but remain unable to rectify the voter's status within the digital system.

The Indian Express reports that this issue has prompted the judges to flag the portal's design to higher authorities, highlighting a disconnect between the legal authority of the tribunals and the technical constraints of the EC's digital infrastructure. While the report identifies the frustration of the judges, it does not currently include a response from the Election Commission regarding whether these limitations are intentional security features or technical oversights. The situation underscores ongoing debates regarding the digitization of electoral processes and the balance between automated systems and judicial oversight in maintaining accurate voter lists.