"We haven't found an officer for SIR yet." "They've brought in a special officer." The Supreme Court issued its order after hearing arguments between the Bengal government and the Election Commission.

The Supreme Court has directed the Calcutta High Court to appoint untainted judicial officers of the rank of District Judge and Additional District Judge to decide the claims and objections in the SIR.

Supreme Court directs appointment of a judicial officer for Bengal SIR

The Supreme Court has directed the appointment of judicial officers for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, citing a trust deficit between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission. The court directed the Calcutta High Court to appoint judicial officers to adjudicate claims and objections in the SIR. The court mandated that these officers be of unblemished rank and of the rank of District Judge or Additional District Judge.

On Friday (February 20, 2026), the Bengal government and the Election Commission traded accusations before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Shyam Divan, the Bengal government's lawyer, argued that the Election Commission had appointed a new type of officer, called Special Role Officers, who are superior to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).

Responding to Shyam Divan's argument, CJI Surya Kant said, "It seems we will have to appoint judicial officers or IAS officers from other cadres. The Chief Justice of the High Court will have to be asked to appoint judicial officers with good records."

Senior Advocate DM Naidu, representing the Election Commission, informed the court that West Bengal had not provided qualified officers to the Commission. The CJI expressed disappointment, stating that he had expected a cooperative attitude from the state government. During the February 9 hearing, the court directed the Bengal government to provide Class 2 officers. Even then, the court reprimanded the state government for not providing officers despite the previous hearing's order.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal stated that the court had ordered that the paperwork scrutiny process be extended from February 14th to February 21st, but the Election Commission had stopped uploading documents as of February 15th. The CJI told him that he would seek information from the Election Commission regarding his order of that day and its implementation. The court inquired about the status of the SIR , to which Kapil Sibal replied that it was still 48 hours away and he was raising some issues.