Supreme Court retains central forces in West Bengal, asks Calcutta HC to form 3-judge panel For SIR tribunals

Observing that the central forces will remain deployed keeping in mind the recent incidents, the Supreme Court on Monday said around 60 lakh claims and objections of those removed from voters' lists in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal will be decided during the day.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi referred to the letter of Calcutta High Court Chief Justice and said that judicial officers decided over 59.15 lakh claims and objections out of approximately 60 lakh cases by noon on April 6.

"The central forces will not be withdrawn from West Bengal looking at the way things have happened in the past," the CJI said, adding, "If state machinery fails, then we will see what can be done."


The bench observed that even in Malda district, where judicial officers reportedly faced disruptions including gherao, around eight lakh cases had been disposed of.

The Election Commission, represented by senior advocate D S Naidu, informed the bench that the remaining claims would be decided during the day and that a supplementary electoral roll would be published later on Monday night.

The court also allowed time until April 7 for completing pending digital signature uploads.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, submitted that 19 appellate tribunals set up to hear challenges against voter deletions were yet to become fully operational.

The bench directed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to constitute a three-member panel of former senior judges to frame uniform procedures for these tribunals.

The panel has been asked to finalise guidelines by April 7 to ensure expeditious disposal of appeals.

The court clarified that tribunals would have the authority to examine reasons for inclusion or exclusion from voter rolls and review documentary evidence, including records not uploaded online.

The court expressed concern over reported threats and obstruction faced by judicial officers during the revision process and warned that if state machinery fails to ensure safety, it would consider appropriate measures.

In view of past incidents, the bench also indicated that central forces would not be withdrawn from West Bengal at this stage.

During the hearing, the bench emphasised the need to create an environment enabling tribunals to function effectively and fairly. Justice Bagchi underscored that the role of the Election Commission is to expand electoral participation rather than restrict it.

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Monday also marked the final deadline for filing nominations for the 152 constituencies going to polls in the first phase of West Bengal Assembly elections on April 23.

The April 2 order directing deployment of central forces had come after seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage for over nine hours at the Kaliachak Block Development Office in Malda district on April 1 by a mob protesting voter name deletions.

The bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipin Pancholi had termed the incident an abdication of duty by the West Bengal government and issued show-cause notices to the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and DGP.

As of April 6, none of the 19 appellate tribunals constituted by the court had become functional.

The Supreme Court had set up these tribunals, headed by former High Court Chief Justices and judges, to hear appeals against voter exclusions, with sittings at a dedicated 21-chamber judicial hub at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mookherjee Institute in Kolkata.

According to ECI, around 52 lakh of the roughly 60 lakh cases under adjudication had been disposed of as of April 3, with 8 lakh still pending. Of those disposed, 55 per cent resulted in inclusion and 45 per cent, about 23.4 lakh voters, in exclusion.

ECI further informed the court that supplementary list of remaining voters will be published tonight.

The Election Commission will be further deploying 3,000 more armed personnel for Bengal polls.

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The Special Intensive Revision is an Election Commission of India exercise to verify and update voter lists ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, scheduled on April 23 and April 29, 2026.

Since November 2025, a total of 63,66,952 names have been deleted from the rolls, with another 60,06,675 voters placed under adjudication.

The exercise has faced legal challenges, including a petition by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, centred on the ECI's use of a "logical discrepancy" category that has resulted in large-scale deletions.