ECI sets up appellate tribunal for electoral roll revision in Bengal

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has constituted an Appellate Tribunal for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, according to a notification issued on Friday.

The notification (No. 39/WB/2026(SIR)) will be published in an extraordinary issue of the State Government Gazette following due verification, as directed in a communication from Under Secretary Shakti Sharma to the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata.

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‎The move follows the Supreme Court’s order dated 10 March, 2026, in W.P. (Civil) No. 1089 of 2025 and related matters, along with recommendations from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. The tribunal has been set up to hear appeals against decisions made by designated judicial officers regarding the inclusion or exclusion of individuals in the state’s electoral rolls.

‎A total of 19 former judges have been appointed as Appellate Authorities across various districts of West Bengal. These include TS Sivagnanam, former Chief Justice, who will oversee cases in North 24-Parganas and Kolkata, along with other former judges assigned to districts such as Purba Medinipur, Cooch Behar, Nadia, Howrah, Darjeeling, Murshidabad, Hooghly, and Malda, among others.

‎As per the notification, appeals can be filed after the publication of the supplementary electoral roll. Applicants may submit their appeals online via the ECI NET platform or physically at the offices of District Magistrates or Sub-Divisional Officers. Authorities will ensure that offline submissions are digitised and uploaded promptly.

‎The tribunal comes into effect immediately and will remain operational until all appeals across the respective districts are resolved. The notification has been signed by Sujeet Kumar Mishra, Secretary, ECI.