HC cancels Judges’ leave till 9 March to fast-track SIR after SC rap
The Statesman | 23 February 2026
In an extraordinary administrative move, the Calcutta High Court on Saturday cancelled all leave of district and sessions judges between 21 and 9 March, signalling an urgent judicial push to complete hearings linked to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The order, issued through a formal notice, also bars grant of fresh leave during the period without prior approval of the high court.
Judicial officers currently on leave have been directed to report back immediately, as the court moves to deploy maximum judicial manpower for time-bound disposal of claims and objections, particularly those involving “logical discrepancies”.
The decision followed a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, where it was decided that session judges from all districts would be pressed into SIR adjudication work on a day-to-day basis.
Though CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal was reluctant to specify the number of judges to be adjudicating the SIR process but sources in the commission said that nearly 150 session judges are expected to be involved in the exercise.
The meeting also took note of seven retired judges of the Calcutta High Court, whose names have been identified at the preliminary stage for possible engagement, subject to further orders.
The meeting was attended by Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Additional CEOs Dibyendu Das and Arindam Niyogi, Vijay Pandey, Director General (Law) of the Election Commission of India, as well as the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Registrar General of the High Court and the Additional Solicitor General.
Officials said the notice makes it clear that SIR work will take precedence over all other judicial assignments during the specified period, with administrative and logistical support to be provided to ensure uninterrupted hearings.
The high court’s decisive intervention comes a day after the Supreme Court directed appointment of serving or former additional district judges to oversee the SIR in West Bengal, citing a “trust deficit” between the state government and the Election Commission of India.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said it had little choice but to step in amid allegations and counter-allegations that had stalled the revision exercise.
The apex court ruled that judicial officers would temporarily perform the role of Electoral Registration Officers to ensure fairness in decisions relating to inclusion or exclusion of names from the voter lists.
Saturday’s high court notice, cancelling leave and mobilising judges across districts, effectively translates that order into immediate ground-level action.