India - April 2026

In April, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals excluded from West Bengal’s electoral rolls during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) could not vote in the 23-29 April state elections while their appeals were pending, as voting rights depend on inclusion in finalized electoral rolls. The revisions removed up to 9.1 million names (nearly 12 per cent of the electorate) shortly before polling, raising concerns about large-scale disenfranchisement. These included removals of absentee, deceased and duplicate voters, while approximately 2.71 million were excluded following adjudication by judicial officers and special appellate tribunals over ‘logical discrepancies.’ Around 2.7 million of the voters had challenged their removals. Civil society groups and experts warned that the exclusions disproportionately affected Muslims and other minorities, limiting millions’ ability to exercise their voting rights. Authorities defended the revision as a routine integrity measure with adequate safeguards, dismissing disenfranchisement concerns as exaggerated.

Update: On 28 May, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Election Commission’s SIR of electoral rolls, ruling that it is a legitimate and necessary exercise in furthering the Constitutional obligation to conduct free and fair elections. Political analysts continue to raise concerns about the court’s validation of the controversial process.

Sources: International IDEA, The Guardian, BBC News, Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, Verfassungsblog, The Hindu

In April 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) circulated draft amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules to expand oversight of online content, including ‘news and current affairs content’ posted by regular users and independent digital media. The proposals would require platforms to comply with government advisories to retain legal protections, extending regulation to a wider set of actors. The government has framed the amendments as aimed at improving accountability, addressing misinformation, and strengthening oversight. Civil society groups and digital rights experts have called for their withdrawal, warning they could expand executive control and limit freedom of expression by enabling content takedowns and increasing compliance burdens. The draft was open for public and stakeholder feedback for approximately five weeks (30 March-7 May), following extensions to the initial two-week period amid criticism over the limited timeframe. 

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Committee to Protect Journalists, Hindustan Times, Jurist