Supreme Court asks tribunal to expedite recall of advocate in SIR row
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V Mohan heard a plea filed by Yean Ali, a Murshidabad-based lawyer practicing for nearly five decades whose name was removed from the electoral roll during the SIR exercise. | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Supreme Court on Friday (Jun 19, 2026) directed the Appellate Tribunal to expeditiously decide an appeal filed by a 75-year-old lawyer challenging the deletion of his name from electoral rolls following a special intensive review (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V Mohan heard a plea filed by Yean Ali, a Murshidabad-based lawyer practicing for nearly five decades whose name was removed from the electoral roll during the SIR exercise.
Counsel appearing for Mr. Ali informed the Bench that his appeal was pending from March 27, 2026 and that he had been exercising his franchises for several years before his name was struck off the list.
The Bench observed that a mechanism comprising former judges of the High Court was already in place to adjudicate disputes arising out of deletions from electoral rolls and said the petitioner should pursue his appeal before the appropriate forum.
“Prima facie, we agree with you that you appear to be a bona fide resident of West Bengal… But you know the mechanism we have created. The Tribunal has a former Chief Justice and retired judges,” the Chief Justice said.
The Chief Justice added that he had received a communication from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday evening (June 18, 2026) seeking more time to dispose of the pending appeals.
Taking into account the petitioner’s plea, the bench directed the concerned appellate court to decide his appeal preferably within two months.
“In view of the nature of the relief sought in the petition, we request that the appellate court where the petitioner’s appeal is pending, decide the matter expeditiously, preferably within two months,” the Bench said.
Ahead of the parliamentary elections held on 23 and 29 April, more than 27 million names were deleted from electoral rolls after verification.
The tribunals comprising former chief justices and judges were ordered to be constituted by the Supreme Court in exercise of its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution in an order dated 10 March.
The April 13 order meant a huge reprieve for citizens whose right to vote was denied in the SIR under the “logical contradiction” category.
Published – 19 Jun 2026 22:44 IST