The Supreme Court of India has taken decisive action to speed up the completion of West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, amid mounting pressure to finalise the list before upcoming elections. The apex court has authorised the deployment of additional judicial manpower including civil judges and officers from neighbouring states to handle the unprecedented volume of claims and objections.
In its order on Tuesday, a Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, noted that the Calcutta High Court had reported an overwhelming backlog of approximately 80 lakh (8 million) claims and objections requiring adjudication under the SIR exercise. With around 250 district judges currently engaged, the court was informed that clearing this caseload could take nearly 80 days well beyond the statutory deadline for publishing the final electoral rolls.
To accelerate the process, the Supreme Court permitted the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to deploy civil judges (both senior and junior division with requisite experience) for verification work and requisition judicial officers from the High Courts of Jharkhand and Odisha if needed. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been directed to bear all related expenses, including travel, lodging, and honorarium for officers brought in from other states.
The Court also reaffirmed that the Election Commission may publish the final electoral roll by February 28, even as verification continues. Any names added through supplementary lists after this date will be deemed part of the final roll. This approach invokes the Supreme Court’s powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, aimed at balancing administrative timelines with inclusive voter participation.
Officials have expressed concern over discrepancies flagged during the revision process, including mismatches in key demographic details such as parents’ names issues referred to as “logical discrepancies.” The expanded judicial pool is expected to significantly reduce the processing time and restore confidence in the integrity of the voter list.
The order comes amid heightened scrutiny of the SIR exercise in West Bengal, where political tensions have escalated between the state government and the Election Commission. Last week, the Supreme Court had warned the state police of “serious consequences” if law and order were not maintained during the revision process.
With the final roll publication deadline fast approaching, the Supreme Court’s intervention underscores the judiciary’s determination to ensure a transparent and timely completion of one of India’s most extensive electoral roll revisions.
