Why is the role of SIR tribunals in West Bengal under scrutiny | Explained
West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) tribunals are facing significant scrutiny due to a massive backlog of over 37 lakh voter appeals. With a disposal rate of only 3% over six months and the resignation of several presiding judges, the integrity of the electoral roll revision process is being questioned.
Why it matters
The inefficiency of these tribunals threatens the democratic process by disenfranchising millions of voters and fueling political instability.
The Story So Far: The protests raging across the country demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has brought the focus on the experiment of revision of voter lists in West Bengal, which saw the deletion of nearly 91 lakh voters from the electoral rolls. Four months after the West Bengal assembly elections, the fate of about 37 lakh electors still hangs before the SIR tribunals.
In an affidavit, the Election Commission informed the Supreme Court on September 18 that the number of appeals pending before the 19 SIR tribunals is 37,18,452. The affidavit states that 38,20,683 appeals were submitted regarding both inclusions and exclusions of voters from the West Bengal electoral roll during the SIR exercise. The EC said only 1,02,231 appeals have been disposed of so far.
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