The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday told the Supreme Court that 1.61 million appeals challenging the inclusion of voters in West Bengal’s electoral rolls after the special intensive revision (SIR) were filed by officers of the state chief electoral officer’s (CEO’s) office in their statutory capacity, and that these matters were not brought to the Commission.
The affidavit, filed by deputy election commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu on behalf of the ECI , Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, said the poll panel had received a communication from the office of the West Bengal CEO on October 22 explaining that the appeals were filed by its officers in their capacity as authorities under the law. The Commission has relied on the top court’s orders in Mostari Banu Vs Election Commission of India, passed on April 1 and April 6, 2026. The April 1 order recorded the ECI counsel’s submission that the tribunals would have access to the relevant records in appeals both by voters challenging their exclusion and by ECI authorities aggrieved by the inclusion of certain names. In September, the poll panel informed the Supreme Court that about 3.83 million appeals had been filed against inclusion or exclusion of names in Bengal’s rolls, of which more than 3.7 million remained pending. Of these, around 2.22 million were filed by voters whose names had been deleted and who were seeking their restoration, while approximately 1.61 million challenged the inclusion of names.
The case arose from the SIR exercise in West Bengal, where the court had appointed judicial officers to adjudicate claims and objections before appellate tribunals were set up to hear challenges to their decisions. The court also directed the tribunals to examine the complete records, including the reasons given by the judicial officers, and permitted them to evolve procedures consistent with natural justice and a fair hearing.
“As per provisions of the RP Act, the CEO / DEO / ERO / AERO are the authorities in respect of electoral rolls,” said the affidavit, referring to the chief electoral officer, district election officer, electoral registration officer and assistant electoral registration officer. “The officers had the authority to file the Appeals as per the orders of this Hon’ble Court and these matters were not brought to the Commission,” it added.
ECI’s reliance on these orders comes amid growing concern over the mounting backlog before the tribunals and the competing claims on their time.
