Jharkhand, Odisha judicial officers to be drafted to speed up Bengal SIR
Times of India
by DHANANJAY MAHAPATRAFebruary 24, 2026
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The Supreme Court has permitted the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to requisition judicial officers from neighboring Jharkhand and Odisha to assist in expediting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process for voter list verification in West Bengal. The SIR initiative aims to scrutinize and validate claims of voters categorized under 'logical discrepancy' or 'unmapped' categories, where inconsistencies in their details have been identified by the Election Commission (EC). These categories include individuals whose documents or family trees appear illogical or inconsistent.
The Calcutta HC had informed the Supreme Court that while 294 judicial officers were assigned to the SIR work, it would still take at least 80 days to process the claims of over 5 million voters in these two categories. The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, allowed the HC chief justice to draft additional judicial officers with three years' experience from West Bengal and, if needed, from Jharkhand and Odisha. The Court emphasized that the final voter list would be published on February 28, but supplementary lists could be issued afterward to include verified claims.
The bench clarified that Aadhaar cards would only be used for identification purposes and not for proving citizenship. It also stated that only voters who submitted their documents by February 14 would be considered for inclusion in the voter list. The SC invoked Article 142, declaring that supplementary lists would be deemed part of the final list published on February 28.
The decision highlights the importance of ensuring accurate voter lists ahead of elections, as discrepancies can undermine public trust in the electoral process. By involving additional judicial officers from neighboring
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Originally published on Times of India on 2/24/2026