The Election Commission of India has introduced an alternative identity-verification route for the judges hearing voter appeals under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal: the judges can now use their PAN cards and other government-approved identity documents, instead of Aadhaar, to generate the Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs) they need to sign orders on the Commission's portal, according to records accessed by The Indian Express and reported by Madhyamam. The fresh guidelines were issued last week, Jazzbaat24 reported.

Source: Madhyamam (Indian Express records)

The deadlock began on September 21, when a new Aadhaar-based identity-verification feature was introduced on the portal. The tribunal judges — appointed following a Supreme Court directive — objected to the arrangement, stopped issuing final orders through the portal, and on September 24 wrote to West Bengal's Additional Chief Electoral Officer demanding that the Aadhaar-based mechanism be withdrawn. They have continued examining cases offline, but their absence from the portal has disrupted the online disposal of appeals, Madhyamam reported.

Source: Jazzbaat24

38.31 lakhAppeals filed against SIR decisions in West Bengal
1.26 lakhAppeals settled by September (EC figures to the Supreme Court)
Sep 21Date final orders through the EC portal stopped
Rs 2,300Cost of each digital signature certificate under the new procedure
27.10 lakhVoters identified as ineligible and removed in Bengal's SIR, as reported

Under the new procedure, judges are to obtain their DSCs through a private agency: applicants submit scanned copies of identity documents, photographs, mobile numbers and email addresses, and complete one-time-password authentication and video verification using the original documents, at a cost of Rs 2,300 per certificate, according to the records accessed by The Indian Express. The Commission has said the move is intended to address the judges' objections and let them resume work without further administrative delay.

Why the backlog matters

The appellate tribunals were formed under a Supreme Court direction of March 20 to review decisions on the inclusion and deletion of voters from the electoral rolls during the SIR. In West Bengal, about 27.10 lakh voters were identified as ineligible and removed from the rolls following the exercise, Jazzbaat24 reported, and many of them have challenged their exclusion through the tribunal route. For those applicants, the tribunal's order will decide whether their names are restored.

With the West Bengal Assembly elections approaching, the stalled disposal has become a major administrative concern: until final orders resume, lakhs of voters do not know whether they will be on the rolls when polling is held. Whether the PAN-based route actually ends the judges' boycott of the portal remains to be seen — the reports note it is not yet clear whether the alternative mechanism will fully resolve their concerns. Sources: Madhyamam, reporting records accessed by The Indian Express; Jazzbaat24.