New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, April 20, 2026, expressed its displeasure over the persistent filing of applications in the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case while agreeing to seek an immediate report from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of allegations that appellate tribunals, mandated to resolve voter exclusion disputes, are effectively non-functional. The court’s intervention comes just three days before the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The matter was brought to the court’s attention by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, who alleged that the tribunals were refusing physical applications and barring lawyers from representing citizens. Kamat argued that by only accepting internet-based applications and denying legal representation, the tribunals were creating insurmountable barriers for thousands of voters, many of whom reside in remote areas. He contended that these actions directly contravene the Supreme Court’s earlier orders intended to provide a fair hearing to those whose names were removed from electoral rolls.
Key Context of the West Bengal SIR Case:
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Election Schedule: The 294-member West Bengal Assembly is set to vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the counting of votes on May 4.
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Judicial Mandate: Using its extraordinary powers under Article 142, the Supreme Court previously ruled that excluded voters could still participate if their appeals were cleared by tribunals at least two days before polling.
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Procedural Hurdles: The Election Commission has been directed to issue a supplementary revised electoral roll to include any voters cleared by these last-minute tribunal decisions.
The Chief Justice directed that the report from the Calcutta High Court be submitted within the day to address the claims of non-compliance. The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for April 24, where it will review the report and determine if further directions are required to safeguard the franchise of the affected citizens.
