Supreme Court orders ECI to expedite West Bengal voter appeals

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to expedite the appeals process for individuals excluded from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that disenfranchised persons have a right to have their appeals decided within a reasonable timeframe.

During the proceedings, the Court requested a detailed breakdown of pending appeals to determine whether priority should be given to cases involving voter exclusion or requests for inclusion. This follows information revealed via a Right to Information (RTI) request indicating that out of approximately 3.8 million pending appeals in West Bengal SIR appellate tribunals, roughly 80%—or 3.1 million—are challenges against the inclusion of certain persons in the electoral rolls.

Data presented to the Court suggests that of the approximately 83,000 appeals decided so far, over 75,000 were allowed, meaning nearly 90% of decided cases favored the voters. The Court is seeking clarity on the total number of pending cases and the current capacity of the tribunals to manage the significant volume of appeals.