West Bengal SIR judges likely to get digital signatures within five days, ending month-long standoff over Aadhaar login

Kolkata: Appellate tribunal judges hearing appeals related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal will be able to use their digital signatures on the portal, which are expected to be made available within the next five days. This will enable the judges to start clearing the pending appeals, people familiar with the matter told ET.

The introduction of digital signatures is expected to end a month-long standoff that had stalled the disposal of appeals. The tribunal judges had objected to the Election Commission of India's (ECI) portal requiring them to use their Aadhaar credentials to log in, leading to the impasse.

Meanwhile, retired Calcutta High Court judge Indrajit Chatterjee, who was hearing appeals related to Murshidabad, has resumed work. The retired judge had earlier indicated that he would step down after November 2, citing the long commute and poor road conditions in Joka, South Kolkata. Sources said the ECI is also considering shifting the tribunals to locations closer to the city.


The standoff had resulted in a situation where no judge hearing Bengal SIR-related adjudication cases had been able to upload a single order on the portal for over a month. The judges have not uploaded any orders since September 21.

Of the 19 Appellate tribunals set up in West Bengal, 17 have disposed of 1,26,194 cases, while 37,05,235 appeals remain pending, according to data available as of September 17.

The 19 appellate tribunals were constituted in West Bengal to adjudicate disputes arising from the SIR of electoral rolls. Two tribunals remain vacant following the resignation of the judges, amid a massive backlog of appeals.