The Supreme Court on Friday directed the appointment of judicial officers to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal, citing a lack of trust between the state government and the Election Commission.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked the Calcutta High Court to appoint “officers of impeccable integrity” to decide on claims and objections arising from the SIR exercise. The court specified that the officers must be of the rank of District Judge or Additional District Judge.
Court Flags Breakdown of Trust Between State and EC
During the hearing on February 20, 2026, the West Bengal government and the Election Commission traded sharp allegations before the bench.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the state government, told the court that the Commission had appointed a new category of officers called “Special Roll Officers”, who are placed above Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). Reacting to the submission, Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that the situation might require appointing judicial officers or even IAS officers from another cadre.
“We may have to request the Chief Justice of the High Court to appoint judicial officers with clean records,” the CJI remarked.
EC Blames State for Not Providing Officers
Senior advocate D.M. Nair, appearing for the Election Commission, informed the court that the West Bengal government had failed to provide suitable officers to assist in the process. Expressing disappointment, the Chief Justice said the court had expected a cooperative approach from the state.
Earlier, during the February 9 hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to make available Class II officers for the SIR exercise. The bench had also pulled up the state for failing to comply with its previous order to provide officers.
Meanwhile, senior advocate Kapil Sibal pointed out that although the court had extended the document verification deadline from February 14 to February 21, the Election Commission stopped uploading documents from February 15. The Chief Justice said the court would seek clarification from the Commission regarding compliance with its earlier order.
When the bench sought an update on the SIR process, Sibal said around 48 hours remained and that certain issues were being raised.
