The Supreme Court will hear key petitions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and freezing of electoral rolls in West Bengal before the Assembly elections. The case also covers the “gherao” of judicial officers, with the Court already ordering an NIA probe.
The Supreme Court of India is set to hear an important batch of petitions on Monday concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal. The matter has gained significance due to the upcoming Assembly elections and concerns raised over the freezing of voter lists.
As per the official cause list dated April 13, the case will be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice Justice Surya Kant along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The Court had earlier, on April 10, agreed to hear a fresh plea along with pending petitions challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India to freeze electoral rolls ahead of the elections.
The Election Commission had frozen and finalised the electoral rolls on April 9 for constituencies going to polls in the first phase. With this move, no new names can be added to the voters’ list for the ongoing election process, even if individuals were previously removed.
The Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to take place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes set for May 4. The freezing of electoral rolls has become a major legal and political issue, as it directly affects voter participation and eligibility.
In addition to the electoral roll dispute, the Supreme Court will also hear a suo motu case related to the alleged “gherao” of seven judicial officers in Malda district of West Bengal. These officers were engaged in the SIR exercise when the incident occurred.
Earlier, while hearing the matter on April 6, the apex court had taken a strong stance and directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation into cases related to the incident. The Court observed that the situation had impacted institutional integrity, stating that
“the bureaucracy’s credibility was being lowered and politics was being injected into the West Bengal secretariat and government offices”.
Invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Court transferred around 12 cases connected to the April 1 incident to the NIA, even though rioting is not classified as a scheduled offence under the NIA Act. This highlights the seriousness with which the Court is treating the issue.
During the April 6 hearing, the bench also noted that a massive number of claims and objections—approximately 60 lakh—filed by individuals removed from the electoral rolls had already been decided as part of the SIR process.
To ensure uniformity and fairness in handling electoral disputes, the Court further directed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to form a three-member panel consisting of former senior judges. This panel has been tasked with creating standard procedures for 19 tribunals that will hear appeals against deletions from the voter lists.
The upcoming hearing is expected to address key constitutional and electoral concerns, including voter rights, administrative fairness, and the balance between election preparedness and democratic participation.
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