SIR deletion: How Calcutta High Court came to the aid of an Agniveer candidate

Akash Sarkar, a young boy from Cooch Behar in West Bengal, had successfully cleared every stage of the recruitment process for appointment as an Agniveer (General Duty) in the Indian Army in 2025, including the written examination, physical test and medical examination..All that stood between him and joining the force was a police clearance certificate (PCC), valid within the previous six months.Sarkar had already obtained a clean PCC in November, 2025. But before he could complete the joining formalities, the certificate expired..However, when Sarkar applied for a fresh PCC in June, 2026, the police refused to issue one because his name, along with that of his father, had been deleted from the electoral roll during the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal. Without the certificate, Sarkar could not complete the joining formalities, putting his Army appointment at risk.He then approached the Calcutta High Court. .Sarkar told the Court that both he and his father had already challenged the deletion of their names before the SIR appellate tribunal in Cooch Behar, but the appeals were still pending. He argued that despite having no criminal record, he was being denied a police clearance certificate solely because his name had been deleted from the electoral roll.Relying on the Supreme Court’s decisions in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Election Commission of India and Mostari Banu v. Election Commission of India, Sarkar contended that deletion from the electoral roll under the SIR process does not amount to a determination of citizenship and therefore could not justify withholding the PCC.During the hearing, the State informed the High Court that the police could not issue the PCC until the SIR appeal was decided. It, however, assured the Court that the certificate would be issued expeditiously in accordance with law once the appeal was disposed of..Taking note of the State’s submission, Justice Bivas Pattanayak on June 17, requested the SIR appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide the pending appeals filed by Sarkar and his father..Following the High Court's order, the tribunal considered Akash's appeal and restored the names of both him and his father to the electoral roll on June 25.The police subsequently issued the PCC, removing the final hurdle that had threatened to cost him his place in the Indian Army. Sarkar has since joined the force as an Agniveer.