Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul formed a five-member committee on Saturday to manage the transfer of urgent matters to alternative courts. The panel steps in as serving and former district judges across West Bengal divert to the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court on February 20 directed the deployment of these judicial officers to aid the Election Commission amid controversies over the SIR exercise. High court officials issued a notification detailing the committee: Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Arijit Banerjee, Registrar General Nabanita Ray, Registrar of Judicial Service Raju Mukherjee, and Ajay Kumar Das, joint registrar and secretary to the chief justice.

This group will oversee interim arrangements for cases involving interim relief or other urgent issues. Chief Justice Paul also canceled all leaves for judicial officers posted in West Bengal courts until March 9. The order ensures full compliance with the Supreme Court’s mandate to complete the SIR on schedule.

In each district, Paul established local committees made up of the district judge, district magistrate, and superintendent of police. These teams aim to facilitate smooth execution of the top court’s instructions at the ground level.

Saturday’s high-level meeting at the high court brought together key figures. Attendees included West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Rajeev Sinha, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Home Secretary Abhishek Gupta, Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Advocate General Kishore Datta, Additional Solicitor General Bimalendu Chatterjee for the central government, and Registrar General Debasis Bhattacharya.

The SIR process has sparked political friction in West Bengal. Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, have raised concerns over alleged irregularities in voter list revisions ahead of upcoming elections. The Supreme Court’s intervention seeks to expedite the exercise with judicial oversight.

Chief Justice Paul emphasized the need for uninterrupted justice delivery despite the pull on resources. The high court notification stresses that only essential urgent matters will shift, minimizing disruptions to regular proceedings.

West Bengal’s electoral rolls cover millions of voters. The SIR, launched last year, involves door-to-door verification to clean up the lists. Deployment of over 100 district judges, both active and retired, highlights the scale of the Supreme Court’s push.

Judicial officers began reporting for SIR duties immediately after the apex court order. The high court’s panels now work to plug gaps in daily caseloads, particularly in Kolkata’s principal bench and circuit benches across the state.

Legal experts view the dual committee structure as a pragmatic response. District-level coordination between judiciary, administration, and police could prevent bottlenecks, they say. Still, lawyers worry about backlogs building up post-March 9.

The Calcutta High Court handles thousands of cases weekly. Urgent matters often involve arrests, bail, stays on government actions, and family disputes. The committee’s role proves critical to avoid miscarriages of justice during this period.

Chief Justice Paul, who took office recently, faces his first major administrative test with this deployment. His decisions draw praise for balancing electoral integrity against court functionality.

Updates from the high court indicate the first transfers of urgent cases already underway. Monitoring by the committee will continue through the SIR timeline.