West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court Says Madhyamik Admit Cards Can Only Supplement Verification

Clarifying its previous directions, the Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed that all documents referred to in paragraph 3(III) of the February 24 order must be submitted by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to the concerned presiding judicial officers.

The Court further directed that all documents which have not yet been uploaded, but were received on or before February 14, 2026, must be handed over by the concerned EROs and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to the presiding judicial officers by 5 PM on Wednesday.

In addition, the Court clarified paragraph 3(C) of its earlier order, specifying that a Madhyamic (Class 10) pass certificate or admit card may be accepted for the limited purpose of verifying date of birth and parentage.

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.

Invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the apex 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.

On February 9, the Supreme Court had 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.

Serious allegations were recently placed on record by the Election Commission earlier this month. In an affidavit filed on February 6, the ECI informed the Supreme Court that the SIR process in West Bengal had been hampered by lack of cooperation from the state administration, including the police, and by instances of intimidation and obstruction faced by election officials on the ground.

Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also appeared in person before Court recently. She had alleged that the SIR was not an addition exercise but effectively a deletion exercise. Banerjee alleged that people frequently change residences due to marriage or employment and that women often change their names after marriage, leading to discrepancies in identity documents. She accused the ECI of targeting opposition-ruled states, including West Bengal, on the eve of elections.

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

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

Mentioning Date: February 25, 2026