"Everywhere SIR Has Happened Smoothly Except West Bengal," Supreme Court Flags Concerns

The Supreme Court today expressed its concerns over continuous impediments coming in the way of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls being conducted in the state of West Bengal by the Election Commission of India.

"I was reading an article on SIR. Except West Bengal, everywhere it has happened smoothly...The article mentioned this", CJI Kant said today while hearing fresh issues flagged by the state.

On persistant issues being raised about supplementary list not being published by the ECI, Justice Bagchi said, "Do you understand the kind of pressure we have put on judicial officers? It's not a question of apportioning blame, but ensuring a common platform through intervention of experiment by judicial...we are requesting Mr. Naidu let him help Chief Justice and entire team to phase remainder of the work. We hope and trust we will have all adjudicated in time."

Court further noted that judicial officers engaged in the SIR process had not taken even a single leave.

Recently, Supreme Court had in fact warned the West Bengal government that it should not make excuses to stall the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

"Please do not make small excuses to stall the process. This has to end... Let judicial officers work. They will work independently..", CJI Kant had responded to a mentioning.

It is to be noted that on February 24, the court had permitted the deployment of judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha for adjudicating claims and objections arising out of the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal, citing an acute shortage of judges in the State. It had also expanded the pool of eligible officers, allowing Civil Judges (Senior Division and Junior Division) with at least three years’ experience to undertake the SIR work, in addition to District Judges and Additional District Judges.

The directions came after the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court informed the Court that nearly 50 lakh cases of “logical discrepancy/unmapped categories” were pending, with only 250 judicial officers available, making it practically impossible to complete the exercise within the stipulated timeframe.

Court had clarified that if further manpower is required, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court may approach the Chief Justices of the Jharkhand and Orissa High Courts for deputation of serving or retired judicial officers of similar rank, with travel, honorarium and related expenses to be borne by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Addressing concerns about language barriers, the bench observed that parts of Jharkhand and Odisha were historically part of Bengal. The Court further directed that all documents submitted, electronically or physically, on or before the cut-off date of February 14, 2026, including those recognised by earlier Supreme Court orders such as Aadhaar cards and Maadhyamik certificates, must be considered, with the responsibility resting on EROs/AEROs to satisfy the judicial officers.

While maintaining February 28, 2026 as the deadline for publication of the final electoral roll, the Court allowed the ECI to publish supplementary lists on a continuous basis if verification of pending discrepancies remains incomplete. It had declared that voters included in such supplementary lists would be deemed part of the final roll as of February 28.

Earlier, on February 20, the court had directed for judicial officers to assist in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in West Bengal. Court reiterated that the SIR process should go on smoothly without any hindrances.

Court had recently sent a strong signal backing the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, while firmly cautioning the state government against any obstruction in the process. CJI Surya Kant had then made it clear that the court would not permit impediments to the SIR exercise, which is currently underway in the state ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. “Whatever orders or clarifications are required, we will issue. But we will not allow any impediment to the SIR process. This must be understood,” the Chief Justice had said.

The observations came while the court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the SIR process in West Bengal, including a petition filed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The state government has questioned the manner in which the voter roll revision is being carried out, raising concerns over potential deletions and the deployment of micro-observers. The bench had asked the West Bengal government to extend full cooperation to the Election Commission and questioned delays in providing manpower requested by the poll body. The court specifically flagged the timing and manner in which the state had communicated the availability of officers for the exercise, indicating dissatisfaction with the response.

Case Title: Mostari Bapu v. Election Commission of India & Anr. (with connected matters)

Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi

Hearing Date: March 24, 2026