WB SIR appeals pile up: 37L cases await verdict

Seventeen Appellate Tribunals in West Bengal have resolved 126,194 cases while 37,05,235 appeals remain pending. These appeals primarily stem from disputes over the electoral rolls revision. Murshidabad and Malda, two minority-dominated districts, have the highest pending appeals relative to their disposals. While Hooghly district leads in case resolutions, many judges' resignations have led to vacancies in the Tribunals.

Kolkata: Seventeen of the 19 Appellate Tribunals in West Bengal have disposed of over a lakh cases while over 37 lakh appeals are still pending before them, data, as on September 17, as seen by ET, show. While 1,26,194 cases were disposed of, around 37,05,235 appeals are still lying with the Tribunals.

Of the total 38,31,429 appeals, 16,10,311 appeals were made by ECI, according to people aware of the development. Of the over 27 lakh names deleted by the judicial magistrates, 22,21,118 'not eligible' voters had appealed before the Appellate Tribunals, sources informed. Senior advocates claimed that these 16 lakh plus were for exclusions.

A total of 38,31,429 appeals were made to the 17 Appellate Tribunals after they were created following a Calcutta High Court order. The 19 Appellate Tribunals were set up in West Bengal to settle disputes related to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Two are lying vacant amid a massive pendency of appeals, after the judges resigned.

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In Murshidabad alone, a minority-dominated district in Bengal, the Appellate Tribunals received 7,47,921 appeals, of which only 514 have been disposed of by the Appellate Tribunals while 7,47,407 are pending as on date, as per data available with ET. However, of the total appeals, 4,61,238 were not eligible after adjudication by the judicial magistrates while the rest were appeals for exclusion by ECI.

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In another minority-dominated district of Malda, 5,31,345 appeals were made and 5,29,831 appeals are still pending while 1,534 disposals have been done, since the Tribunals started working.

However, the highest number of disposals was in Hooghly district with 27,356 cases disposed of, followed by South 24 Parganas, another minority-dominated district, with 22,049 disposals.