Supreme Court asks for special tribunals to hear appeals of voters excluded in West Bengal SIR

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) directed the constitution of special tribunals to decide on appeals against exclusions from the electoral roll during the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant ordered the formation of the tribunals after reasoning that the decisions of judicial officers deployed in the SIR exercise as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) should not be subjected to appeal before any executive or administrative authority.

The Supreme Court asked the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to request former Chief Justices and judges of High Courts to preside over the Benches of the appellate tribunals once they are notified by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The EC shall pay the retired judges an honorarium and cover the entire expenses of the tribunals.