Indian journalists condemn 'denial' of voting and passport rights of prominent editor
Summary
Indian journalist R Rajagopal has lost his voting rights and faced delays in renewing his passport due to his name being removed from the voter list in West Bengal. The removal happened during a voter list update called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which aims to remove ineligible voters but has also affected millions of eligible people.Key Facts
- R Rajagopal, former editor of The Telegraph, had his name removed from West Bengal's voter list during the SIR exercise.
- The SIR is an election commission effort to identify and remove ineligible voters, started on 4 November 2025.
- Around 60 million names nationwide were removed from voter lists, including about 9 million in West Bengal.
- Rajagopal’s passport renewal was delayed because police could not complete verification without his name on the voter list.
- Rajagopal has lived in the same constituency for over 25 years and has been a registered voter since 2010.
- The Editors Guild of India condemned the removal, calling it a hardship for millions and warning about its effects on ordinary citizens.
- Political parties and journalists have expressed support for Rajagopal and criticized the voter removal process.
- Rajagopal’s appeal against the voter list removal is pending in court following Supreme Court guidelines.
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