At least three of the 19 appellate tribunals established in West Bengal to resolve disputes arising from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls remain vacant, according to Election Commission officials. The vacancies raise concerns over potential mass disenfranchisement.
The Calcutta High Court will provide the names of retired high‑court judges to the West Bengal chief electoral officers, who will then notify their appointments to the vacant tribunals. While the tribunals are under the jurisdiction of the Calcutta High Court, the Election Commission supplies secretarial support, staff, and a digital platform for online hearings.
The backlog involves more than 37 lakh voters who are still in legal limbo. Of the 38.3 lakh appeals filed, 22.2 lakh were lodged by voters whose names were deleted, and 16.1 lakh challenged the inclusion of names. Only about 1.02 lakh cases have been resolved, giving a completion rate of less than three percent. Petitioners have informed the Supreme Court that clearing the backlog could take over 12 years at the current pace.
Opposition parties have called the SIR exercise the “biggest hijacking of democracy,” accusing the Election Commission of using algorithm‑driven processes that disproportionately removed names from minority communities and traditional opposition strongholds.
