KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 18: More than 37 lakh appeals arising from West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls remain pending before appellate tribunals, raising concerns over the pace of disposal as municipal elections in the State draw closer.

According to an Election Commission of India affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, 38,20,683 appeals have been filed against decisions related to inclusion and exclusion of names from the electoral rolls. Of these, only 1,02,231 appeals had been disposed of, leaving 37,18,452 cases pending.

The appellate mechanism was created following directions from the Supreme Court to provide a legal avenue for people dissatisfied with decisions taken during the SIR exercise. The Election Commission notified 19 appellate tribunals on March 20, with each tribunal comprising a retired High Court judge. They began functioning from April 13.

The large backlog has attracted attention because the appeals include both petitions seeking restoration of names removed from electoral rolls and objections seeking exclusion of names that were included. The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to provide a clear break-up of these categories. The court has also indicated that appeals by people whose names were excluded could require priority because deletion directly affects their ability to vote.

Earlier RTI data had shown that, as of August 7, 82,782 appeals had been decided out of 38.10 lakh cases. Of those decided, 75,443 resulted in voters being restored to the electoral roll, while 7,339 resulted in exclusion.

The issue has gained importance with municipal elections approaching in Kolkata and Howrah. Petitioners before the Supreme Court have stressed the need to resolve eligible voters’ appeals within a reasonable timeframe so that people are not deprived of their voting rights.

The Election Commission has maintained that the appellate process provides safeguards against errors in the revised electoral rolls. The Supreme Court is examining the available data and the functioning of the tribunals and may consider whether additional measures or tribunals are required to address the substantial backlog.

With millions of appeals still awaiting decisions, the disposal of these cases remains a significant administrative and legal challenge for West Bengal’s electoral authorities ahead of the upcoming civic polls.