West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court Asks Appellate Tribunal To Give Out-Of-Turn Hearing For Person Claiming To Possess Aadhaar & Passport

The Supreme Court today requested an Appellate Tribunal constituted in West Bengal to give out-of-turn hearing to a woman excluded from electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the order, after hearing Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat (for petitioner).

Assailing a rejection order of 27 March passed against the petitioner by a judicial officer, the senior counsel told the Court that the petitioner possesses a passport, was part of the 2002 electoral roll and has been voting ever since. Farasat also submitted that the petitioner was seeking a limited relief of out-of-turn hearing, as the list will close on April 27.

When the CJI asked if the petitioner had approached the Tribunal, Farasat replied, "yes, I filed on 3rd April...but unfortunately, I have not got a hearing. I just want that liberty (out-of-turn hearing) and I will move the forum".

As such, the bench passed the following order:

"The petitioner has already approached the Appellate Tribunal on 3rd April being aggrieved by her exclusion [after] the SIR process. We request the Appellate Tribunal to accord an out-of-turn hearing to the petitioner's appeal at the earliest."

Earlier, on April 13, the Court had granted another litigant the opportunity to make out a case of out-of-turn hearing before the Appellate Tribunal. Seeking similar relief, the petitioner approached the Supreme Court.

Case Title: MONOWARA KHATUN Versus THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA AND ORS., W.P.(C) No. 496/2026

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