Post SC order, Cal HC Chief Justice reviews SIR, cancels judicial officers’ leaves

Kolkata: The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Saturday ordered cancellation of leave of all judicial officers posted in different courts of West Bengal till March 9, to ensure compliance with directions passed by the Supreme Court for completion of special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.

“All the Judicial Officers, posted as District & Sessions Judges/Chief Judges, Additional District & Sessions Judges, Judges of Special/CBI Courts, Commercial Courts, Special Court for trial of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, Exclusive POCSO Courts, Judges posted in Benches of City Civil Court and City Sessions Court, Calcutta, as well as those posted on deputation are hereby refrained from taking any leave including leave of absence from station from today i.e., 21.02.2026 to 09.03.2026, or until further order except under extreme medical emergency,” a notice issued by Registrar (judicial service) of Calcutta High Court stated.

The notice was issued following a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Sujay Paul in the presence of Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal , state Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, and Advocate General Kishore Dutta.

Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju and Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey, following a directive from the Supreme Court of India of providing adequate judicial officers to assist in verifying discrepancies in the voter list under the SIR process . District judges ,recently retired judicial officers were present virtually.

All the Judicial Officers, if on leave (pre-approved or otherwise) have been directed to join their respective courts and offices by February 23 positively. “All leaves (except under medical emergency) till 09.03.2026, even if approved by the Hon’ble Court, hereby stand cancelled,” the notice read. Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said: “We want to ensure that not a single eligible voter’s name is left out of the electoral roll. Disposal of applications will continue till midnight today (February 21) . After that, we will know how many cases will go before judicial officers. As per the court’s order, the entire process will be handled by judicial officers. The exact number is yet to be determined.”

Judicial Officers posted in fast track courts have also been refrained from taking any kind of leave during this period except under medical emergencies. “The training programmes in respect of the Judicial, if any, scheduled at West Bengal Judicial Academy between 23.02.2026 to 09.03.2026 are hereby deferred until further order,” the order stated. The Calcutta High Court further reiterated that any dereliction towards compliance of the directions shall be viewed seriously. According to Commission sources, around 150 session judges across districts are expected to be roped in hearing and disposing of claims and objections arising out of the revision exercise.

However, when asked about the number of judges to be appointed, the CEO said, “ This is not within our jurisdiction. The Calcutta High Court is trying to plan. We have just provided our point of view in the meeting.”