EC forms 19 appellate tribunals in West Bengal for appeals on electoral rolls
The Hindu
The Election Commission establishes 19 Appellate Tribunals in West Bengal to address electoral roll disputes ahead of upcoming elections.
The Election Commission of India (EC) formed 19 Appellate Tribunals for West Bengal to hear disputed case appeals rejected by the judicial officers who are disposing of the 60 lakh under-adjudication cases in the State following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The move comes amid rising concerns over pending adjudication cases in the State, even as Assembly election is just a month away.
“The EC hereby constitutes the following Appellate Tribunal(s) for hearing appeals against orders passed by the designated Judicial Officers in respect of inclusion or exclusion of prospective electors in the electoral roll of the State of West Bengal,” the order published by the EC on Friday (March 20, 2026) in Delhi said.
The single-member tribunals led by former judges have been formed for 23 districts, including North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Cooch Behar, Nadia, Malda, and Birbhum, and the State capital Kolkata.
Appeals may be filed by the concerned people online on the EC website. The applicant can also physically visit the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or Sub-Divisional Officer’s office to file an appeal to reconsider the inclusion of their names in the State’s electoral roll.
This came as a response to the Supreme Court order of March 10, where they asked the Calcutta High Court to request former Chief Justices and judges of High Courts to preside over the appellate tribunals.
In West Bengal, after the SIR process, at least 1.6 crore people were called for hearings, 1.3 crore were categorised under logical discrepancy cases, and 32 lakh were unmapped voters. Among the 1.6 crore hearings, 60 lakh have been put under adjudication. Over 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand have also been roped in to speed up the process and clear all the pending cases before the State heads to the polls.
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