Former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, has resigned from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Appellate Tribunal in West Bengal, citing “personal reasons.” The tribunal had been constituted to hear appeals from voters whose names were removed from the electoral rolls during the SIR exercise ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Justice Sivagnanam was among 19 retired judges appointed by the Election Commission of India following directions from the Supreme Court of India. The appellate tribunals were established after large-scale deletions from the state’s voter list triggered legal challenges and public controversy. Reports indicate that more than 90 lakh names were excluded during the revision process, while nearly 27 lakh people filed appeals seeking restoration of their voting rights.
According to reports, Justice Sivagnanam submitted his resignation to current Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul. The Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal were also informed about the development.
During his brief tenure on the tribunal, Justice Sivagnanam reportedly reviewed thousands of appeals. In one report, he observed that at the current pace it could take nearly four years to clear the backlog of cases related to voter exclusions in Kolkata alone. His resignation has therefore raised concerns about further delays in resolving pending electoral appeals.
The SIR process had become one of the most contentious political and legal issues before the Bengal elections, with opposition parties and civil society groups questioning the scale of voter deletions. Only a very small number of appellants reportedly received relief before polling concluded.