![\"Supreme](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130231946,imgsize-1320240,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/untitled-design-2026-04-13t143112.jpg\" "\\"<p>File")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday raised concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, with Justice Joymalya Bagchi stressing the need for a \u201crobust appellate mechanism\u201d to address wrongful deletions, even as the court declined to intervene in individual cases.A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant was hearing petitions from voters whose names were struck off the rolls and whose appeals are pending before appellate tribunals.<\/p>\n Justice Bagchi flagged the scale and pressure of the exercise, noting that judicial officers handling SIR adjudication were processing over 1,000 documents a day. \u201cIf the accuracy is 70 percent then the activity should be rated as excellent\u2026 there will always be a margin of error,\u201d he said, as per Live Law.He warned that such errors could have electoral consequences, observing that if a significant percentage of voters are excluded in close contests, \u201cwe would definitely have to apply our minds.\u201d He added that \u201cright to vote\u2026 is not only constitutional but sentimental.\u201dHe also directly referred to the Bihar SIR proceedings, noting that the Election Commission had earlier taken an \u201cunequivocal\u201d stand that voters listed in the 2002 electoral roll would not be required to submit additional documents. Questioning the deviation in West Bengal, Justice Bagchi remarked, \u201cPlease see your written submissions in Bihar case\u2026 you had said the 2002 electorate need not give documents,\u201d and observed that the poll body now appeared to be \u201cimprovising\u201d its position.The judge further highlighted that West Bengal saw the introduction of a new \u2018logical discrepancy\u2019 category\u2014absent in other states\u2014raising concerns over inconsistency in the revision process and its potential impact on voters.<\/p>\n Despite the concerns, the bench refused to extend the April 9 deadline for freezing electoral rolls and declined to entertain the plea. \u201cWe will not entertain this. Better you pursue there (before AT),\u201d the Chief Justice said, emphasising that appellate tribunals must decide the cases.The court also cautioned against questioning the integrity of judicial officers, with the CJI stating they had done a \u201ccommendable job.\u201dPetitioners had argued that they were valid voters listed in the 2002 rolls and possessed documents such as Aadhaar and passports, but their appeals were not being heard in time.During the hearing, the court also underlined that the process must not become a \u201cblame game\u201d between the state and the Election Commission, with Justice Bagchi remarking that the voter was being \u201csandwiched between two Constitutional authorities.\u201d He stressed that appellate tribunals must adopt a \u201cprinciple of inclusion\u201d while deciding cases.<\/p>\n The SIR process, being conducted ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, has already led to the removal of over 27 lakh names after adjudication. Nineteen tribunals are now tasked with hearing more than a lakh appeals each, highlighting the scale of the challenge.The court also noted that as many as 25\u201335 lakh appeals may need adjudication, underscoring the logistical burden on tribunals and the urgency of ensuring due process in a time-bound electoral exercise.Disposing of the plea, the court clarified that if the petitioners succeed before the tribunals, \u201cnecessary consequences shall follow,\u201d while leaving the remedy of appeal open.<\/div>\n\n\u2018Margin of error\u2019 concern amid large-scale exercise<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Court declines relief, directs petitioners to tribunals<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Massive exercise ahead of polls<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n