New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) In a fresh set of directions, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered setting up of independent appellate tribunals, headed by former high court judges, to hear appeals against exclusions from voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The top court also issued a stern warning against attempts to undermine the integrity of judicial officers who are deployed to deal with claims and objections of those facing deletion from voter lists in the SIR process.
Describing such moves as an affront to the judiciary, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said, “How did you dare file such applications? It shows as if you don’t have trust…No one should dare question the judicial officers. As Chief Justice of India, I will not tolerate this.” The bench, also comprising Justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, was irked over the submissions made in one of the fresh petitions that the judicial officers be not permitted to deal with the claims and objections of those facing deletion from voter lists.
Earlier, the top court had allowed deployment of district judges and civil judges of West Bengal in the ongoing SIR process.
It had also asked the Calcutta High Court chief justice to seek requisition of judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha to handle 80 lakh claims and objections of those facing deletion from the electoral roll in the SIR exercise in the state.
On Tuesday, the bench perused the fresh report of the Calcutta High Court chief justice and passed a slew of fresh directions.
It also asked the West Bengal government and the Election Commission to provide all logistical support to judicial officers in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.
The bench noted that the judicial officers so far have dealt with 10.16 lakh objections and claims of those facing deletion from the electoral rolls by the evening of March 9.
“The ECI shall not introduce any mandatory requirement that could disrupt the process unless approved by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court,” it directed.
“Technical issues affecting the online portal must be promptly resolved,” it said.
The bench said new login IDs for judicial officers be created promptly to ensure smooth revision of electoral rolls. It also said that decisions of the judicial officers cannot be examined in appeals by any administrative officers of the Election Commission.
It said the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court may request some former high court chief justices and two or three former high court judges, preferably from the Calcutta High Court or neighbouring states, to serve on the appellate tribunals.
Once recommended, the Election Commission will have to notify them as Appellate Tribunals to hear such appeals.
The number of members on each bench has been left to the discretion of the Calcutta High Court chief justice.
During the hearing, a few senior advocates raised two concerns that there was absence of an appellate mechanism for individuals whose claims were rejected by the judicial officers, and the publication of supplementary lists of voters whose objections have already been disposed of, particularly in light of the large number of objections reportedly exceeding 10 lakh.
Referring to its order of February 24, the bench reiterated that orders passed by judicial officers could not be appealed before any executive or administrative authority.
The CJI, however, said that the chief justice of the high court will create an independent appellate forum consisting of retired judges.
The bench also said that once the chief justice of the high court makes an appropriate recommendation, the poll panel will issue the requisite notification.
As per the report of the high court chief justice, 500 judicial officers from West Bengal and about 200 from Odisha and Jharkhand have been deployed for the exercise and are working round the clock.
Around 700 login IDs had been created by March 8, 2026 to facilitate mobilisation and redeployment of judicial officers in sensitive districts.
However, the judicial officers were reportedly facing logistical and technical issues, which the court observed that they appeared to have arisen at the level of the EC.
Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for the poll body, assured the bench that the problems would be addressed without delay.
The bench also declined to entertain two fresh petitions filed by individuals claiming illegal exclusion from the final electoral roll.
The petitions were dismissed as withdrawn with liberty granted to the petitioners to pursue the newly created appellate remedy.
The SIR exercise in West Bengal has been under the court’s supervision amid allegations of irregularities and a “trust deficit” between the state government and the Election Commission. PTI SJK MNL SJK KVK KVK
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