Calcutta High Court Directs SIR Tribunal To Expeditiously Decide Plea Of Saudi Resident Unable To Renew Passport Over Voter List Deletion

The Calcutta High Court has directed the SIR Appellate Tribunal to decide within two weeks, an appeal challenging the deletion of a petitioner's name from the electoral roll, after the deletion allegedly came in the way of renewal of his passport.

The petitioner, who is employed as a driver in Saudi Arabia, approached the High Court stating that his passport is due to expire in 2026 and that he requires its renewal to continue his employment abroad.

According to the petitioner, the passport authorities did not accept/process his request for renewal after his name was deleted from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The petitioner has already challenged the deletion before the SIR Appellate Tribunal. However, with his passport nearing expiry and his employment in Saudi Arabia at stake, he sought expeditious disposal of the electoral roll dispute.

Taking note of the circumstances, Justice Krishna Rao directed the concerned SIR Appellate Tribunal to dispose of the pending appeal within two weeks.

The Court's direction is aimed at enabling an early resolution of the electoral roll dispute, which the petitioner stated was affecting his ability to renew his passport.

The High Court did not examine the merits of the petitioner's challenge to the deletion and directed the statutory appellate forum to decide the matter within the stipulated timeframe.