Electoral Roll Revision: Supreme Court allows deployment of Odisha, Jharkhand judges for Bengal SIR process

In a significant development concerning West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted the deployment of judicial officers from Odisha and Jharkhand to expedite the adjudication of claims and objections. The move comes amid concerns that the limited number of judges in West Bengal may delay the time-bound verification process.

Referring to a letter from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court dated February 22, the bench noted that nearly 50 lakh cases involving logical discrepancies or unmapped categories require adjudication. With only 250 judicial officers currently available, even if each officer disposes of 250 matters daily, the process would take at least 80 days.

Taking this into account, the bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi expanded the pool of eligible officers. In addition to District Judges and Additional District Judges, Civil Judges of Senior and Junior Divisions with at least three years of experience may now be deputed.

The Court further allowed the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice to seek serving or retired officers of similar rank from Jharkhand and Odisha, with expenses to be borne by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Clear Directions on Verification

The Court clarified that document verification must align with earlier notifications and its prior orders permitting Aadhaar cards, Madhyamik admit cards and certificates, submitted on or before February 14, 2026. Responsibility to satisfy judicial officers rests with EROs and AEROs.

While February 28 remains the deadline for publishing the final electoral roll, the Court permitted supplementary lists if verification remains incomplete, invoking Article 142 to ensure affected voters are deemed part of the final list.

Background and Ongoing Concerns

The matter stems from a “trust deficit” between the West Bengal government and the ECI. Senior advocates appeared for various parties, with concerns also raised about the language familiarity of out-of-state judges. The Court observed the historical ties of Jharkhand and Odisha with Bengal.

The case continues to underline the Court’s effort to ensure transparency and the timely completion of the SIR process.