SC expands judicial team to aid West Bengal SIR

25 FEBRUARY 2026

The Supreme Court moved in quickly to swell the ranks of judicial officers deployed to aid the Election Commission (EC) in the completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal, even alerting neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand to spare their judges.
A Special Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant met urgently after receiving a letter from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court detailing the perils of the “enormous exercise”.
The High Court Chief Justice said a whopping 50 lakh claims and objections, raised by voters excluded on grounds of logical discrepancies and mapping, were pending before the Electoral Registration Officers/Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.
The letter said the 294 district and additional district judges selected to deal with the verification process was merely a drop in the ocean.
Even if each one heard 250 cases a day, the entire process would take 80 days to be completed.
Time was already stretched and deadlines for the Assembly election were drawing close.
The court underscored that Aadhaar, Classes 10 admit card and pass certificate would be considered as proof during SIR verification.