Bengal SIR Tribunals Flag EC Portal Problems
Tribunal judges say technical limitations are hindering notices, hearings and restoration of voters deleted during the electoral-roll revision.
More than a dozen judges serving on appellate tribunals in West Bengal have raised concerns about the Election Commission’s online portal, saying technical limitations are affecting the process of hearing appeals filed by voters whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The concerns were recorded by tribunal judges on August 11 and communicated to the Election Commission as well as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. The judges flagged difficulties in serving notices, conducting hearings and restoring names to the electoral rolls through the EC’s digital system.
According to the judges, once a voter’s name is deleted through the Election Commission’s system, restoring the entry can become technically difficult. This creates an additional hurdle for tribunals that are considering appeals by people seeking to have their names reinstated.
The concerns come amid a large backlog of appeals arising from the Bengal SIR exercise. The Election Commission has reported more than 38 lakh appeals against inclusion and exclusion decisions, with the overwhelming majority still pending before the appellate mechanism.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the establishment of an appellate mechanism in West Bengal after the SIR process led to the deletion of millions of names from the electoral rolls. Nineteen appellate tribunals, each headed by a retired High Court judge, were subsequently notified and began functioning in April.
The portal-related difficulties could affect the practical functioning of the tribunals because the digital system is used for several stages of the appeal process. Problems in issuing notices, recording hearings or updating restored names can delay relief for voters whose appeals are successful.
The issue also comes as the Supreme Court continues to examine the broader implementation of the Bengal SIR process and the handling of appeals. The Election Commission has proposed measures including increasing the number of tribunals to speed up disposal of the large pending caseload.
The tribunal judges’ concerns highlight that resolving the Bengal SIR dispute involves not only deciding the eligibility of individual voters but also ensuring that the technological systems supporting the appeal process can accurately implement those decisions. The Election Commission and the judicial authorities will now have to address the reported portal limitations.