Nandalal Bose’s grandson, who adorned India’s original constitution with ornaments and illustrations, was struck off the electoral rolls during the presidential elections. Special Intensive Review (SIR) in West Bengal poll-related.
Subrabuddha Sen, 88, and his wife Deepa Sen, 82, residents of Santiniketan, were among those whose names were deleted ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections scheduled for later this month. Another family member, Chakradhar Nayak, was also removed.
the The Supreme Court has now asked Sen to approach the Court of Appeal to challenge the deletion, while seeking a speedy decision on the matter.
In general, though, there is no set deadline for the courts, meaning that a decision before April 23 and 29, the voting days, may or may not be made in such cases. There are about 20 thousand such cases.
Longtime voter from Santiniketan
Sen, a former Damodar Valley Corporation official, has lived in Santiniketan since his retirement in 1996 and has voted regularly in elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He studied at Visva Bharati University and earlier attended Patha Bhavana, which he founded Rabindranath Tagore.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalia Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, heard the matter and allowed the petitioner to challenge the deletion before the court.
The court also requested that his case be decided quickly.
Who is Nandal Bose?
Acharya Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) was a prominent figure in modern Indian art and presided over the Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. At the request of the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he and his students created detailed illustrations of the original handwritten Constitution.
The project, which was completed over four years, included 22 artworks reflecting India’s cultural and historical traditions. He is also known for his Haripura posters.
Senior advocate Jaydeep Gupta, representing Sen, told the Supreme Court that it was surprising that a family linked to the drafting of the Constitution had now been excluded from the voters list. DS Naidu, representing the Election Commission, said the commission would help the court ensure a timely decision.
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: Voting History
2026 The Legislative Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in two phases: April 23 and April 29. The votes will be counted on May 4.
Those removed from the rolls can appeal to 19 appeals courts set up across the state.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court allowed Congress leader Mutaib Sheikh to approach the court after his name was removed from the voters list. He asked for his name to be restored and to be allowed to run in the next elections. His name has since been added again.
Delete 95% of Muslim voters in Nandigram
The case has also raised concerns in Nandigram, a politically sensitive constituency.
Data analyzed by the Sabar Institute using Election Commission records shows this Muslims, who make up about 25% of the population, accounted for 95.5% of the deletions on several lists.
In most cases, their share ranged from about 60% to nearly 99%, while non-Muslims made up only a small portion.
Separate data from December 2025, based on the “Absent, Converted, Deceased and Duplicate” (ASDD) criteria, showed that Muslims made up about a third of deletions.
The Election Commission did not comment on the religious breakdown of these deletions.
(With inputs from PTI)
