19 Appellate Tribunals to Hear Voter List Pleas in West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court

PTI, Apr 01, 2026, New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that 19 appellate tribunals, headed by former chief justices and high court judges, will decide on pleas from persons excluded or included in the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal.

The tribunals will also address grievances of Election Commission (EC) officials aggrieved by inclusions made by adjudicating authorities, including 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi noted communications from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court detailing progress in the SIR process. As of March 31, 2026, 46.6 lakh objections out of 60 lakh filed had been adjudicated, with over 47.3 lakh processed in total so far.

The appellate tribunals, operating from the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation, Diamond Harbour Road, Kolkata, will function for eight weeks, with provisions to extend or move to alternative premises if necessary. The Supreme Court clarified that all tribunals must function from Kolkata.

The bench emphasized that tribunals should review full records, including the reasons assigned by judicial officers for rejecting objections, and inform parties of these reasons. Tribunals may evolve their own procedures in accordance with natural justice, providing fair opportunities to all parties. Pending objections are expected to be adjudicated by April 7, 2026.

The court posted pleas, including one by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for hearing on April 6, 2026. Senior advocates raised concerns over a high exclusion rate of around 45%, procedural irregularities, and the filing of fresh applications.

The Supreme Court noted that while rival parties may demand 100% inclusion or exclusion, the appellate tribunals should be allowed to function independently. It termed some apprehensions “hyper-technical” and advised parties to raise specific grievances directly before the tribunals.

The SIR process in West Bengal had previously prompted the court to lay down a framework for adjudicating claims and objections, appoint judicial officers, and seek reports from the state police on threats to officials involved.