All 19 tribunals at Joka central institute to hear Bengal voter appeals
Telegraph | 2 April 2026
A central institute less than a kilometre from IIM Joka on the city’s southwestern fringes will host all 19 tribunals tasked with deciding the fate of disenfranchised voters.
The Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS), inaugurated in 2022 to “enhance access to safe drinking water and sanitation across India”, has been chosen as the hub for the exercise. The institute provides training and capacity-building support for water supply and sanitation, said an official.
Spread over more than 8 acres on Diamond Harbour Road between Joka and Pailan, the campus falls within the Bishnupur block in South 24-Parganas, about 18km from central Calcutta.
Tight security at the gates of the institute on Wednesday prevented entry to outsiders. A flurry of activity was evident inside.
More than 20 rooms on the first floor have been earmarked for the tribunals, said people exiting the campus.
“The rooms are being cleaned. Many are not in regular use. Electrical, sanitation and other infrastructure are being upgraded,” one of them said.
The Election Commission on Tuesday released the fifth and sixth post-SIR supplementary lists with 3 lakh names, taking the number of voter names published in such lists after adjudication by judicial officers to 29 lakh.
When the post-SIR rolls were published on February 28, about 60 lakh voters had been marked “under adjudication”, and around 5 lakh “deleted”.
Poll panel sources said all 19 tribunals will function from the Joka institute, each headed by a retired high court judge.
The institute’s director declined to share details on preparations. “We have not received any formal communication yet. I cannot say anything right now,” said Priyatu Mandal, director of SPM-NIWAS and a joint secretary in the department of drinking water and sanitation under the Union ministry of Jal Shakti.
Some concerned citizens had already turned up outside the campus on Wednesday afternoon seeking clarity.
Partha Sarkar said he had come regarding his nephew, whose name was removed from the electoral rolls. “The names of his parents and elder brother have been approved. But his name was deleted even after he submitted all documents. We heard the tribunal will be set up here,” Sarkar said.
A guard at the gate did not allow him inside, citing orders.
Poll panel sources said deleted voters would not need to visit the tribunals in person. Appeals can be filed online through the ECI Net platform. Physical applications can be submitted to the sub-divisional officer or the district magistrate — who also serves as the district electoral officer (DEO) — who will digitise and upload them.
In the city, the DEOs are the Kolkata Municipal Corporation commissioner for north Calcutta and the director of land records and surveys for south Calcutta.
The otherwise low-profile institute in Joka has seen unusual activity in recent days. “Everyone knows IIM Calcutta, but hardly anyone comes here. Over the past few days, many VIP cars have been spotted at the gates,” said a man who runs a dry ice store nearby.