Election – Supreme Court Directs Judicial Support for Bengal Voter Verification
Election – The Supreme Court has stepped in to ease mounting pressure on election authorities in West Bengal, directing the Calcutta High Court to deploy additional judicial officers to help complete the ongoing voter list verification exercise ahead of the state’s upcoming elections.
Court Invokes Constitutional Powers Amid Staff Shortage
Invoking its extraordinary authority under Article 142 of the Constitution, the apex court acted after Chief Justice Sujoy Paul of the Calcutta High Court highlighted a severe shortage of judicial personnel required to manage the scale of the task. The verification process is part of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls currently underway in the poll-bound state.
According to the court’s order, nearly 80 lakh cases fall under categories involving logical discrepancies or records that remain unmapped. At present, around 250 district judges and additional district judges have been assigned to examine approximately 50 lakh claims and objections.
The court observed that even if each officer were to dispose of 250 cases daily, the entire exercise would stretch to nearly 80 days, making it difficult to meet the prescribed timeline. Taking note of these constraints, the bench said additional judicial officers must be mobilized to accelerate the process.
Civil Judges and Inter-State Assistance Permitted
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated that the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court may draw from a pool of civil judges, including those from the junior division with at least three years of experience, to expand the verification workforce.
The court also noted that judicial officers from neighbouring states such as Jharkhand and Odisha could be considered for temporary deployment, pointing out that these regions were historically part of undivided Bengal. It directed that any request for such assistance be treated with urgency and sensitivity by the respective high courts.
Expenses related to travel, boarding, and lodging of officers brought in from other states will be borne by the Election Commission of India.
Categories of Voters Under Scrutiny
The Election Commission has issued notices to voters under three classifications: mapped, unmapped, and those with logical discrepancies.
The mapped category includes individuals whose records are linked to electoral data but require further confirmation. The unmapped group comprises voters whose information could not be connected to the voter database. The logical discrepancy category involves cases where inconsistencies have been flagged, such as differences in parents’ names, variations in spelling, or questionable age gaps within family records.
The court clarified that Aadhaar will continue to be accepted as proof of identity during the verification process, in line with its September 2025 ruling. Additionally, admit cards of Madhyamik examinations will also be considered valid documentation.
Timeline and Publication of Electoral Rolls
The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on February 28. However, the court acknowledged that if verification of cases under the logical discrepancy and unmapped categories remains incomplete by the deadline, the Election Commission may proceed with publishing the main list, followed by supplementary rolls.
It further directed that supplementary lists should be released on a continuous basis as soon as pending verifications are completed, ensuring that eligible voters are not excluded due to procedural delays.
Political Reaction in West Bengal
The ruling Trinamool Congress reacted sharply to the development, alleging that the Election Commission has struggled to manage the revision process effectively. In a statement posted on social media, the party claimed that the Supreme Court’s intervention has reinforced concerns it had previously raised about the conduct of the exercise.
The party also accused authorities of selectively targeting and harassing voters, asserting that the judiciary’s involvement serves as a safeguard to ensure institutional accountability.
With the verification process entering a critical phase, the coming days will determine whether the expanded judicial support can help complete the exercise within the stipulated timeframe, maintaining both accuracy and fairness in the electoral rolls.