Supreme Court asks tribunal to speed up advocate’s appeal in SIR row

Published 19 June 2026 · india

The Supreme Court on Friday (June 19, 2026) directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide the appeal filed by a 75-year-old advocate challenging the deletion

The Supreme Court on Friday (June 19, 2026) directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide the appeal filed by a 75-year-old advocate challenging the deletion of his name from the electoral rolls following the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal. A Bench comprising the Chief Justice of India () Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana was hearing a plea filed by Yean Ali, a Murshidabad-based lawyer who has been practising for nearly five decades and whose name was removed from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise. Appearing for Mr. Ali, counsel apprised the Bench that his appeal had been pending since March 27, 2026, and that he had exercised his franchise for several years before his name was excluded from the rolls.

The Bench remarked that a mechanism comprising former High Court judges had already been put in place to adjudicate disputes arising out of deletions from the electoral rolls and said the petitioner ought to pursue his remedy before the concerned forum. “Prima facie, we are agreeing with you that you appear to be a genuine bona fide resident of West Bengal… But you know the mechanism we have created. High Court Chief Justice and retired judges are there in the Tribunal,” the Chief Justice said. The Chief Justice added that he had received a communication from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday night (June 18, 2026) seeking more time to dispose of the pending appeals.

Taking the petitioner’s plea into consideration, the Bench directed the concerned appellate tribunal to decide his appeal preferably within two months. “Having regard to the nature of relief sought in the petition, we request the appellate tribunal, where the petitioner’s appeal is pending, to decide the matter expeditiously, preferably within two months,” the Bench said. Ahead of the Assembly elections held on April 23 and 29, over 27 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls following the verification exercise. The tribunals, composed of retired High Court Chief Justices and judges, were ordered to be constituted by the Supreme Court using its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution in an order dated March 10.

The April 13 order had spelt a huge reprieve for citizens whose right to vote was denied in the SIR under the ‘logical discrepancy’ category.