SIR in Bengal: SC permits requisition of judicial officers from Jharkhand, Odisha to deal with claims & objections

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the Calcutta High Court can also deploy civil judges with a minimum of three years’ experience to accelerate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The Court permitted the Calcutta High Court to request judicial officers from neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha to handle the 8 million claims and objections in West Bengal’s ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, reported PTI.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi noted a letter from the Calcutta HC Chief Justice stating that the 250 district judges currently deployed in the SIR exercise would need approximately 80 days to process all claims and objections.

According to BarandBench, the Bench stated, "Taking note of this fact and the time constraints, we are of the view that further clarifications are needed to increase the catchment area of judicial officers.”

"If the High Court Chief Justice feels that further human resource is needed he may approach chief Justices of neighboring states - Orissa and Jharkhand High Court to draw serving and retired judicial officers of those states in similar rank who shall be entrusted to complete the verification work in west bengal. Travel, boarding, lodging of such officers shall be borne by the election commission of India," it said.

The Bench also informed which documents would be considered valid for processing the claims. The Court stated that its previous orders, one from September 2025 allowing Aadhaar as proof of identity, and another concerning the writ petition on Madhyamik admit cards and password certificates, would be recognised. It clarified that all such documents, whether updated electronically or submitted physically before February 14, 2026, would be deemed valid.

It further mentioned that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may proceed with publishing the final list on February 28, after which supplementary lists can be released on a continuous basis.

"We deem it appropriate to invoke our powers under Article 142 and declare that voters enlisted in such supplementary lists shall be deemed to be part of final list published on February 28, 2026," the Bench stated.

On February 9, the Court had instructed the State of West Bengal to ensure that the officers it provided to the Election Commission of India (ECI) report for duty, as per the BarandBench report.

Later, the ECI claimed that it was not receiving adequately qualified officers, prompting the Court to order the deployment of judicial officers.

Last week, the Court clarified that any direction or order issued by the deployed or former judicial officers would be treated as an order of the Court itself, and state authorities are required to comply immediately to ensure the timely completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) process.

Last year, the ECI conducted a SIR in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The process faced legal challenges through multiple petitions, including those filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Federation for Indian Women (NFIW), questioning its legality. However, the ECI went ahead with the SIR as the Supreme Court had not stayed the process.

Following this, the ECI extended the SIR to other states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, which prompted several petitions challenging the extension. The Court reserved its judgment on these matters on January 29.

Subsequently, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee approached the Court, contesting the ECI’s decision to conduct a SIR in the state. She requested that elections be held based on the existing electoral rolls prepared the previous year and sought an urgent directive to stop the deletion of voters, particularly those listed under the “Logical Discrepancy” category.

Banerjee, on February 4, personally attended the Court to raise several concerns regarding the SIR, claiming that the ECI had singled out West Bengal ahead of this year’s assembly elections. She argued that the process, which normally takes two years, was being rushed into just three months despite festivals and the harvesting season.

The Court instructed the ECI to exercise caution when issuing notices to voters over name mismatches. At the same time, it clarified that no obstacles would be allowed to hinder the progress of the SIR.