SIR hearing on without EC nod for deadline extension; SC to hear 7 petitions on Bengal

2026-02-09

KOLKATA: Hearings for the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll continued at multiple places in Bengal on Sunday despite Election Commission not issuing any notification extending the deadline for the exercise.

The SIR hearing deadline was Feb 7, but the sheer number of pending cases prompted state chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal to write to EC on Saturday, asking for an extension of the deadline by a week. The CEO also requested the poll panel to push back the deadline for the publication of the final voters’ list, which the original notification says is Feb 14.

Most of those who turned up for hearing on Sunday had applied for enrolment as new voters as their names were not on the draft SIR list published last month or had “logical discrepancies” in their enumeration forms.

“The extension of the SIR hearing and verification deadline is an internal matter. EC generally does not issue a notification for it. However, if the date for the publication of the final electoral roll is extended, EC will have to issue a notification,” an official at the poll panel said. He, however, did not clarify whether an extension of the hearing deadline would automatically push back the timeline for the publication of the voters’ list.

Sources said Agarwal asked all district election officers on Sunday to continue and expedite work related to hearings, document upload, verification and disposal of cases without waiting for EC to extend the deadline.

“Hearings were conducted on Sunday at multiple places in Kolkata, in the Noapara (North 24 Parganas) and Kurseong assembly constituencies, as well as in seven assembly constituencies in South 24 Parganas,” an officer said.

Supreme Court is set to hear seven petitions on the Bengal SIR — including one filed by CM Mamata Banerjee — at 2 pm on Monday. The petitions will be heard together by a three-judge bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria.

At Survey Building in Alipore, many of those standing in long queues said they had been issued hearing notices a day or two ago.

Abhijit Das and his wife attended a hearing on behalf of their 18-year-old son, who is preparing for his HS exams. “The exams start on Feb 12. We didn’t want him to waste time standing in a queue,” Das said.

Afsar Hussain, 42, was called for a hearing as his name was not on the draft SIR list. “I have been voting since 2005. My name wasn’t there on the 2002 voters’ list. But my parents’ names were there,” he said. Hussain’s hearing was scheduled for 11.30 am but even an hour later, he was still waiting for his BLO to arrive and assist him.

At Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Institution in Phoolbagan, Tariq Ali said his BLO called him on Saturday night asking him to appear for a hearing the next day. “I asked the BLO why I was being called today if the hearing process was over, but there was no answer.”