Kolkata: Adjudication of SIR appeals in Bengal has hit a roadblock, with tribunal judges refusing to log into the new portal introduced by Election Commission of India on Sept 21 using their Aadhaar credentials.The 13 SIR tribunal judges, who are hearing appeals against the exclusion or inclusion of names during the special intensive revision of the electoral roll, have also objected to the new portal’s inability to accept or record documents beyond the 13 specified items while adjudicating appeals. The judges have shot off a letter to ECI flagging these issues.As a result of the stand-off, no adjudication has taken place since Sept 21. “You may please note that since Sept 21, 2026, all tribunals have been unable to upload their orders… we are practically rendered functionless,” the letter to ECI said. The judges say that forcing them to enter their Aadhaar credentials to log into the portal constitutes direct “interference with the functioning of a quasi-judicial authority”.The judges convened a meeting on Sept 25, at the end of which they wrote to ECI stating their refusal to upload decisions on the new portal. “We, the attending 13 judges of the SIR Appellate Tribunal at Kolkata created under the order of Supreme Court of India, today (Sept 25, 2026) have unanimously resolved the following: That we will not share our personal Aadhaar numbers or any personal particulars for uploading the decisions taken in the appeals.”The judges also stated that the new portal violates the legal mandate by restricting the identity documents to be submitted to the standard list of 13 prescribed documents.Supreme Court had in March 2026, while ordering the formation of SIR tribunals, noted the 13 EC-specified documents that can be considered for adjudication. The apex court, however, clarified that the list was “indicative”, not “exhaustive”.The earlier portal allowed the judges to upload their orders in the ‘Word’ format and select one of the two options — ‘Accepted’ or ‘Rejected’. The new portal requires the judges to specify which of the 13 documents they accepted during adjudication, allowing the selection of up to five such documents, while uploading their judgements.A judge said, “In many cases, a Class IV or V pass certificate verified by the Bengal school education department was accepted as a corroborating document. This new portal does not allow judges to go beyond the 13 specified documents and exercise their judicial discretion.”In their letter to EC, the judges wrote, “Under the changed portal, the prohibition against uploading any document beyond the list of 13 documents prescribed by ECI is not binding on the tribunals, as the same amounts to interference with the functioning of quasi-judicial authorities. Accordingly, we unanimously want to delete or remove such prohibitions or requirements. We act as a quasi-judicial authority under the order of Supreme Court. We are free to consider any documents which appear to be relevant and acceptable for the purpose of proper adjudication of the appeal.”The judges pointed out in the letter that the authority of the Appellate Tribunal cannot be interfered with by any administrative decision of ECI.The letter said the portal should allow the judges to correct any clerical errors or apparent mistakes in their orders even after uploading them. It also urged ECI “to restore the previous model of the ECI portal as it was before Sept 21, 2026, with modifications to incorporate our point of view, within three days from the date of receipt of this letter.”“When Supreme Court directed the creation of independent Appellate Tribunals headed by judicial officers to handle SIR disputes, it established them as distinct quasi-judicial authorities,” said a source in the tribunal. “Since these tribunals operate under the aegis of the judiciary, their rulings on voter inclusion or exclusion carry judicial weight. The administrative wing of ECI, including its central IT administration, cannot unilaterally alter or contest these findings through software overrides or administrative circulars.”
