SC appoints judicial officers for West Bengal SIR over Mamata govt-ECI 'trust deficit'

This Supreme Court directive comes amid heightened scrutiny of West Bengal's electoral rolls, critical for the Assembly elections later in 2026. 

The Supreme Court on Friday flagged a trust deficit between the West Bengal Government and the Election Commission of India and directed the appointment of judicial officers to handle claims and objections from the state's special voter list revision.

The order was passed by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipin Pancholi.

“There is an unfortunate blame game of allegations and counter-allegations which shows trust deficit between two constitutional functionaries,” the apex court said.

The Court added that it had little option but to involve the judiciary to ensure the fairness and timely completion of the revision exercise.

“In order to ensure fairness in adjudication of genuineness of documents submitted and consequent inclusion or exclusion in voter list, we are left with hardly any other option but to request the Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta to spare some serving judicial officers along with some former judicial officers,” the CJI Kant-led Bench ordered.

To facilitate the smooth completion of the SIR process, the Bench directed District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to provide full logistical support to the judicial officers and their teams.

The West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) was also asked to file a supplementary affidavit detailing the steps taken in response to complaints alleging threats and intimidation faced by officials involved in the SIR exercise.

When will the final voters’ list be published?

According to the current schedule, the final voters’ list is to be published on February 28, revised from the earlier date of February 14.

On March 1, the full bench of the Commission is expected to arrive in West Bengal for a two-day visit to assess the post-SIR situation. Soon thereafter, the Commission is likely to announce polling dates for the crucial Assembly elections in the State later this year.

This time, the Commission is considering conducting the polls in significantly fewer phases than in previous elections. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office has already recommended a single-phase poll, while noting that the final decision will rest with the Commission.

The last single-phase Assembly election in West Bengal was held in 2001.

When will the West Bengal Assembly election be held?

The Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule for the West Bengal Assembly elections. The polls, which will elect 294 MLAs, are expected to take place in March or April-May 2026, before the current Assembly’s term ends on May 7. The Commission is likely to release the full election schedule, including the number of polling phases, by mid-March 2026.