{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Another former judge resigns from West Bengal SIR tribunal as Biswajit Basu steps down",
  "summary": "Former Calcutta High Court judge Biswajit Basu has resigned from the special intensive revision tribunal in West Bengal, becoming the fourth member to leave the committee.",
  "content": "A fresh administrative hurdle has emerged concerning the voter list revision process in West Bengal. Former Calcutta High Court judge Biswajit Basu has formally stepped down from the special intensive revision or SIR tribunal. He communicated his decision by submitting a resignation letter to Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge, citing personal reasons for his departure.\n\nFourth member to exit the panel\nWith Basu stepping down, the number of judges who have walked away from this special committee has risen to four. This follows closely on the heels of former judge Indrajit Chatterjee, who also resigned from the tribunal citing the cumbersome daily commute. Chatterjee had pointed out that traveling 22 kilometers each day was becoming exceptionally difficult for him to manage. He initially took on the assignment under the assumption that the tribunal's work would wrap up within two to three months, but the massive backlog of pending cases indicated that the process would stretch out much longer, prompting his exit.\n\nA growing list of departures\nOther notable figures have also relinquished their roles on the panel. Former Justice Ranjit Kumar Bag previously stepped down by citing personal reasons, although he did not explicitly detail the specific factors behind his decision. Prior to that, former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam also left the tribunal, attributing his departure to family issues.\n\nPurpose and structure of the tribunal\nThe tribunal was originally established in strict accordance with directives from the Supreme Court. It comprises a total of 19 retired judges and magistrates. The core mandate of this body was to provide a functional legal mechanism for individuals whose names were expunged from the final electoral rolls following the completion of the SIR process, giving them a structured platform to appeal and reinstate their names. Following Basu's resignation, four out of the original 19 members have now exited the panel.\n\nVoter roll figures and pending cases\nThe final electoral roll for West Bengal was officially published on February 28, keeping aside roughly 60 lakh cases that required judicial adjudication. At the time, the Election Commission had stated that supplemental lists would be rolled out progressively as the judicial proceedings advanced.\n\nTo put the scale into perspective, the state recorded 7,66,37,529 registered voters before the SIR notification was formally issued in November of last year. When the draft electoral roll was released in December, a total of 58,20,899 names were dropped. By the time the final list came out on February 28 of this year, the total number of removed entries had climbed to 63,66,952.\n\nThe workload of the tribunal is directly tied to resolving the disputes surrounding these omitted names. The upcoming supplemental lists are anticipated to incorporate the findings of these judicial reviews, enabling eligible applicants whose claims are successfully validated to have their names restored to the official voter registry.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe tribunal served as a crucial legal recourse for millions of voters in West Bengal whose names faced exclusion during the revision process.\n\n• In West Bengal: The continuous departure of judges from a panel handling roughly 60 lakh pending cases could significantly slow down the judicial verification timeline. Affected residents may face prolonged delays in getting their appeals reviewed and resolved.\n• Across India: Large-scale administrative developments tied to electoral roll revisions highlight the logistical pressures faced by judicial panels in managing massive caseloads. Such events underline the systemic challenges involved in handling dispute resolutions within strict timelines.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe series of resignations from the tribunal has been driven by a combination of practical constraints and unexpected workloads that emerged after the panel began its operations.\n\n• Commute and Distance: Former judge Indrajit Chatterjee explicitly cited the grueling daily commute of 22 kilometers each way as a primary factor behind his departure.\n• Underestimated Workload: Members initially undertook the assignment believing the tribunal's mandate would conclude within two to three months, but the sheer volume of pending cases made it clear the process would extend indefinitely.\n• Personal Circumstances: Judges like Biswajit Basu and Ranjit Kumar Bag pointed to personal and family commitments that made it difficult to sustain a long-term commitment to the demanding tribunal schedule.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who is Biswajit Basu?\nBiswajit Basu is a former judge of the Calcutta High Court who recently resigned from the SIR tribunal.\n\n2. To whom did Biswajit Basu submit his resignation?\nHe submitted his resignation letter to Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge.\n\n3. How many members have now resigned from the tribunal?\nHe has become the fourth member to step down from the special panel.\n\n4. Why was this tribunal formed?\nIt was formed under Supreme Court directives to provide a mechanism for individuals whose names were removed from the voter list following the SIR process.\n\n5. When was the final voter list published?\nThe final electoral roll for West Bengal was published on February 28.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/politics/west-bengal-sir-tribunal-se-eka-aura-purva-jaja-ka-istipha-biswajit-basu-ne-chhori-samiti-57559",
  "category": "Politics",
  "publishedAt": "2026-11-07",
  "tags": [
    "West Bengal",
    "SIR Tribunal",
    "Voter List",
    "Calcutta High Court",
    "Biswajit Basu",
    "Election Commission"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia",
  "whatItMeansForYou": "The tribunal served as a crucial legal recourse for millions of voters in West Bengal whose names faced exclusion during the revision process.\n\n• In West Bengal: The continuous departure of judges from a panel handling roughly 60 lakh pending cases could significantly slow down the judicial verification timeline. Affected residents may face prolonged delays in getting their appeals reviewed and resolved.\n• Across India: Large-scale administrative developments tied to electoral roll revisions highlight the logistical pressures faced by judicial panels in managing massive caseloads. Such events underline the systemic challenges involved in handling dispute resolutions within strict timelines.",
  "whyItHappened": "The series of resignations from the tribunal has been driven by a combination of practical constraints and unexpected workloads that emerged after the panel began its operations.\n\n• Commute and Distance: Former judge Indrajit Chatterjee explicitly cited the grueling daily commute of 22 kilometers each way as a primary factor behind his departure.\n• Underestimated Workload: Members initially undertook the assignment believing the tribunal's mandate would conclude within two to three months, but the sheer volume of pending cases made it clear the process would extend indefinitely.\n• Personal Circumstances: Judges like Biswajit Basu and Ranjit Kumar Bag pointed to personal and family commitments that made it difficult to sustain a long-term commitment to the demanding tribunal schedule.",
  "questionsAndAnswers": [
    {
      "question": "Who is Biswajit Basu?",
      "answer": "Biswajit Basu is a former judge of the Calcutta High Court who recently resigned from the SIR tribunal."
    },
    {
      "question": "To whom did Biswajit Basu submit his resignation?",
      "answer": "He submitted his resignation letter to Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge."
    },
    {
      "question": "How many members have now resigned from the tribunal?",
      "answer": "He has become the fourth member to step down from the special panel."
    },
    {
      "question": "Why was this tribunal formed?",
      "answer": "It was formed under Supreme Court directives to provide a mechanism for individuals whose names were removed from the voter list following the SIR process."
    },
    {
      "question": "When was the final voter list published?",
      "answer": "The final electoral roll for West Bengal was published on February 28."
    }
  ]
}