West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court asks HC to look into security request by ex-judge heading appellate tribunal

Retired judge Ananya Kanti Roy Saraswati on Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking security while heading an election appellate tribunal constituted to hear disputes arising from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohan requested Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty to examine the matter.

"We request the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to look into the matter and take such necessary steps as may be required," said CJI Kant.

The petitioner-judge was appointed to head one of the election appellate tribunals constituted under the Supreme Court's directions.

The plea before the apex court sought adequate security in view of the responsibilities while adjudicating SIR-related appeals.

The plea arose in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's ongoing monitoring of disputes relating to the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

Earlier this year, the Court had directed the constitution of a special appellate mechanism to hear challenges to the inclusion and deletion of names from the electoral rolls ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

It had also asked the Calcutta High Court to facilitate the process by providing judicial officers and retired judges to man the appellate tribunals.

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