SC Speeds Up Bengal Poll Roll Verification, Allows Extra Judges
Taking note of the grim situation and the time constraints, the bench permitted the deployment of civil judges to conduct the process.
New Delhi: Taking note of the grim situation and the time constraints to deal with 80-lakh claims and objections in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice to deploy civil judges and also requisition judicial officers from neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha to handle the grievances of those facing deletion from the poll list.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi took note of a letter by the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul that said 250 district judges deployed in the SIR exercise would take around 80 days to deal with the claims and objections of those put in the logical discrepancy and unmapped categories of the SIR process.
On February 20, citing the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and the poll panel, the apex court issued an "extraordinary" direction to deploy serving and former district judges to assist the Election Commission in the SIR exercise in West Bengal.
The logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and her/his parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
The top court allowed the Election Commission (EC) to publish the final electoral roll on February 28 and clarified that the poll panel can issue supplementary lists as the verification process proceeds. The deadline for West Bengal SIR is February 28.
Invoking plenary powers under Article 142, the top court directed the Election Commission to enlist voters in the supplementary electoral rolls to be part of the February 28 final list published by the poll panel.
The apex court also permitted the deployment of civil judges to conduct the process. It asked the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice to request Jharkhand and Odisha Chief Justices and requisition judicial officers of similar ranks to deal with the situation. It directed the Election Commission to bear the expenses for deploying judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha.
The apex court permitted Chief Justice Paul to deploy civil judges from the senior and junior divisions with a minimum of three years' experience to verify the claims and objections filed by the voters.
"If the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court is of the opinion that further human resources are required, he is at liberty to approach the Chief Justices of the High Courts of Jharkhand and Orissa to provide serving or retired judicial officers from those states of similar rank," it ordered.
The top court said both Jharkhand and Odisha used to be a part of Bengal and the people are familiar with the language of West Bengal. It asked the Chief Justices of Jharkhand and Orissa High Courts to sympathetically and urgently consider the request made by the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice.
The top court said: "The judicial officers involved in the exercise will do the verification of claims and objections with respect to documents referred to in (a) notification dated October 24, 2025, declaring the commencement of SIR in WB read with the June 24, 2025, notification, the order passed by this court on September 8, 2025, whereby Aadhaar card was allowed to be accepted and order passed by this court on January 19, 2026, whereby Maadhyamik (Class X) admit card and Madhyamik pass certificate were also allowed to be submitted."
"We direct that all such documents, whether submitted electronically or physically, on or before the cut-off date of February 14, 2026, will be considered," it said.
The top court added that it will be the responsibility of the electoral registration officers and assistant electoral registration officers to satisfy the judicial officers of the documents referred
