The Supreme Court instructed electoral authorities in West Bengal to ensure the submission of pending verification documents by 5 p.m. on February 26 to judicial officers overseeing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A Madhyamik (Class 10) admit card may be accepted along with the pass certificate for verification purposes, as clarified by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The apex court directed that all documents mentioned in the February 24 order, received by February 14 but unuploaded, must be submitted without delay.
The bench, including Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, provided further clarifications following a detailed order passed on Tuesday, as requested by senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu representing the Election Commission of India (ECI). The scope of documents acceptable for verifying voters in the “logical discrepancy/unmapped category” was specified, allowing the use of Madhyamik (Class-10) Admit Card along with the Madhyamik Pass Certificate for confirming date of birth and parentage.
In a subsequent development, the Supreme Court empowered the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to appoint additional judicial officers, including Civil Judges with at least three years’ experience, to expedite the resolution of nearly 50 lakh claims and objections from the SIR exercise. The court also permitted seeking assistance from the High Courts of Jharkhand and Orissa, emphasizing that supplementary lists may be issued if all verifications are not completed by the final roll publication deadline of February 28. Voters added in supplementary lists will be considered part of the final list published on February 28, 2026.
