Supreme Court strict on Bengal SIR dispute, sought report from Chief Justice of Calcutta HC: – ..

News India Live, Digital Desk: Just before the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, the Supreme Court of the country has adopted a tough stance amidst the controversy over deletion of names in the voter list. The Supreme Court has directed the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to Appellate Tribunals Submit a detailed report on the functioning of the electoral rolls, which were created to hear appeals of names deleted from the electoral rolls.

1. Why did the Supreme Court have to intervene?

Senior advocate Devdutt Kamat raised the matter before the bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Serious allegations: The petition alleged that the 19 appellate tribunals constituted by the Calcutta High Court were ‘not functioning’.

Voting rights in danger: If these tribunals do not give their decision on time, lakhs of voters will be deprived of voting in the elections, as the process of adding names will come to a halt for several phases on April 21 and 27.

2. “We cannot be blinded by election dust and anger”

During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant made very strong remarks and said:

Victory of Truth: “We cannot be blind to the storm, dust and anger of the coming election. The right to vote is not just a constitutional right, but also an emotional right.”

Use of Article 142: The Supreme Court, using its special powers (Article 142), has directed the Election Commission (ECI) that if the tribunal accepts the appeal by April 21 or 27, the Commission must immediately issue a ‘Supplementary Electoral Roll’ to include those voters.

3. What is the complete mathematics of SIR controversy?

Shocking figures have emerged during the ongoing SIR (SIR) in West Bengal:

90 lakh names removed: The names of about 90 lakh voters across the state have been removed from the list considering them suspicious.

34 lakh appeals pending: Of these, about 34 lakh people have appealed to the tribunal.

Attacks on judicial officers: Earlier, there were reports of hostage taking and attack on judges engaged in SIR process in districts like Malda, on which the court had strongly reprimanded the Mamata Banerjee government.

4. Now what will be the next step?

Report till this evening: The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court will have to tell today itself why the tribunals are not active and how many appeals have been disposed of.

Next hearing on April 24: The Supreme Court will now hear the matter again on April 24, where it will be decided whether any change is needed in the Bengal election dates or the last date of the voter list.