R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph, has reported that his passport renewal was stalled after his name was deleted from the electoral rolls in West Bengal during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. He stated that this situation led to him missing his daughter’s wedding in the United States, as he was unable to obtain an active passport. Rajagopal’s case has drawn attention to the broader consequences of voter roll exclusions under the SIR exercise.According to The Indian Express, Rajagopal received a call from Ballygunge police station in early April for police verification related to his passport application. He was asked to bring his voter ID card, but informed the official that his name had been deleted from the electoral roll on 27 March. Since then, his efforts to renew the passport have been unsuccessful, and his application is currently pending with the Regional Passport Office.Opposition leaders have criticised the situation, calling it “irrational” and “alarming” as coverage revealed. Congress MP Vivek Tankha questioned the practicality of the documentation requirements, while CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar described the incident as an “eye-opener.” Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose highlighted the broader implications for citizens with fewer resources, stating, “If this can happen to R. Rajagopal, former Editor of a prominent newspaper, one can imagine what citizens with far fewer resources are going through.”The Editors Guild of India issued a statement condemning the treatment of Rajagopal by the bureaucracy, asserting that the process raises concerns about the determination of citizenship status at the end of the process. The Guild’s statement emphasised the impact of administrative decisions on fundamental rights, particularly the right to vote and access to official documents.Supreme Court's SIR Verdict Puts Bureaucracy Above the VoterAs reported by Scroll, the SIR exercise in West Bengal resulted in the removal of over 91 lakh names from the voter list. Many affected individuals, including those with longstanding documentation, have faced difficulties in accessing welfare schemes and official documents. Legal challenges have been initiated against the linkage of voter roll status to other administrative processes, with petitioners arguing that such measures lack constitutional basis.“Deleted from the electoral roll. Denied the right to vote. Passport renewal stalled for 100 days because of an adverse police report linked to that deletion. Forced to miss his own daughter’s wedding abroad. And then told a passport is ‘not proof of citizenship’. This is what the slow erosion of basic citizenship rights looks like,” Sagarika Ghose posted on X.Legal experts and affected citizens have raised concerns that the SIR process has created new categories of citizenship, impacting not only voting rights but also access to essential services and documentation as analysis showed. Appeals against voter roll deletions are pending before tribunals, with estimates suggesting that resolution could take several years.Tribunals, Deadlines, Doubts: Is Supreme Court’s Order Failing Deleted Voters?In Rajagopal’s case, a senior police officer confirmed that the passport application remains with the Regional Passport Office due to the inability to verify his voter status as details emerged. Official responses from the Kolkata Police and the state Chief Electoral Officer’s office have not been provided at this time.Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.