3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 17, 2026 12:14 PM ISTPeople queue up at Baharampur municipality for digitisation of manual birth certificates before the Bengal SIR. (Express photo)With a week to go for polling in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on April 23, the Supreme Court on Thursday exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to allow those individuals whose names are cleared by the 19 Appellate Tribunals till two days before polling to cast their votes.The court ordered the Election Commission to publish supplementary lists with the names of those cleared by the tribunals by April 21 for the first phase and April 27 for the second phase, polling for which is on April 29, in order to enable them to vote.While that may seem like a win for the 27.10 lakh people deleted in the adjudication phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bengal, here’s what it’s likely to entail.What has the court ordered?As per the Supreme Court’s orders, around 700 judicial officers were deployed in Bengal to decide on the eligibility of 60 lakh electors who were flagged by the ECI’s centralised software as having “logical discrepancies” in the documents submitted for the Special Intensive Revision. These judicial officers passed orders to delete 27.10 lakh of those electors, freezing the electoral rolls for the April 23 and April 29 polling as on the last date of filing nominations (April 6 and April 9).However, the court also ordered the setting up of 19 appellate tribunals, comprising of retired High Court judges, to allow those affected to appeal against their deletion. Since the statutory framework under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, freezes the electoral roll from the last date of filing nominations till the declaration of results, the court has used its inherent power under Article 142 to order that supplementary lists be published beyond that timeline. The court has said that all those cleared by the tribunals till April 21 for the first phase and April 27 for the second phase will be allowed to vote in these elections. The Election Commission will publish supplementary lists to the existing electoral rolls.How can those affected appeal?After the court ordered the establishment of appellate tribunals, the EC on March 20 notified the process. It said the appeals can be filed on its ECINET website or physically at the offices of the District Magistrates or Sub-Divisional Magistrates or Sub-Divisional Officers concerned. These officials are supposed to digitise and upload the appeals on the ECINET platform.What is likely to happen?Though the court has given the affected former electors a chance to get back on the rolls and cast their ballots, time is running out. While the EC is yet to release any data or statement on the appeals process, it is learnt that only two appeals filed by candidates were approved till the last date of nominations.Story continues below this adThe 19 tribunals can have an average of over 1.4 lakh appeals each to process. The Supreme Court, in its April 13 order in the petition of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the SIR, noted that over 34 lakh appeals against deletions as well as alleged wrongful inclusions have been filed. This would mean that each single-member tribunal has over 1.78 lakh appeals to dispose of by April 21 and April 27, which would be a tall order.Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. Expertise Key Coverage Areas: Damini Nath currently specializes in reporting on two crucial beats: Housing and Urban Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis and reporting on India's urban development, policy, and housing issues. Election Commission (EC): Offering authoritative coverage of electoral processes, policies, and the functioning of India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections. Professional Background: Her extensive experience includes roles as a reporter and sub-editor, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the journalistic process from fieldwork to final production. Previous Role: Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she served as a dedicated reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau, where her reporting portfolio included: Culture Social Justice Housing and Urban Affairs The Election Commission beat (a consistent area of focus). Trustworthiness Damini Nath's decade-plus career at two of India's most respected and authoritative news institutions, The Indian Express and The Hindu, underscores her commitment to factual, impartial, and high-quality reporting, establishing her as a trusted and credible source for news on urban governance and electoral matters. ... 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