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Kolkata HC Halts PDS Benefit Cut for Woman Over SIR Deletion
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 30 Jul 2026, 11:40 PM
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The Calcutta High Court has stayed the discontinuation of Public Distribution System benefits for a woman whose name was deleted from the electoral rolls, citing that such exclusion should not affect unrelated welfare schemes.
The Calcutta High Court has issued a stay order preventing the state government from discontinuing Public Distribution System (PDS) benefits for a woman whose name was removed from the electoral rolls.
The decision follows recent notifications by the West Bengal government that linked the deletion of a name from the electoral roll (SIR) with the eligibility for PDS and the Annapurna Bhandar scheme. The court held that such a linkage violates the principle that exclusion from voting rolls should not have consequences unrelated to the act of voting.
In a related ruling, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that removal from the electoral rolls cannot be used as a basis for denying welfare benefits. The High Court’s stay aligns with this higher court’s stance.
The stay is expected to restore the woman’s entitlement to subsidised food grains and other PDS provisions, and it may prompt a review of the state’s notification linking SIR deletions with welfare schemes.
The decision follows recent notifications by the West Bengal government that linked the deletion of a name from the electoral roll (SIR) with the eligibility for PDS and the Annapurna Bhandar scheme. The court held that such a linkage violates the principle that exclusion from voting rolls should not have consequences unrelated to the act of voting.
In a related ruling, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that removal from the electoral rolls cannot be used as a basis for denying welfare benefits. The High Court’s stay aligns with this higher court’s stance.
The stay is expected to restore the woman’s entitlement to subsidised food grains and other PDS provisions, and it may prompt a review of the state’s notification linking SIR deletions with welfare schemes.