CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Indrajit Chatterjee has sought to resign from the West Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) appellate tribunal, citing the long daily commute between his residence in Salt Lake and the tribunal centre in Joka. He has written to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court seeking relief from the assignment.
Justice Chatterjee is presiding over a tribunal handling appeals related to electoral rolls in Murshidabad. Reports said the journey from his residence to Joka can take several hours each day because of traffic and poor road conditions. He has indicated that he could continue if the tribunal were shifted closer to his residence or if he were allowed to work from home.
The tribunal system was established following Supreme Court directions, with 19 appellate tribunals constituted across West Bengal to deal with appeals arising from the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has reported that more than 38 lakh appeals were filed, with over 37 lakh still pending as of its September affidavit to the Supreme Court.
Justice Chatterjee has reportedly disposed of 425 appeals so far, while the Murshidabad tribunal continues to face a substantial workload. Earlier, former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam had also stepped down from an SIR tribunal, citing personal reasons.
The development comes amid continuing efforts to clear the large backlog of SIR-related electoral-roll appeals in West Bengal. The proposed resignation highlights the logistical challenges faced by tribunal members alongside the substantial volume of cases awaiting adjudication.
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