# 91% of Bengal SIR appeals succeed as RTI reveals scale 2026-08-26T19:15:47+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets An RTI reply to Congress MP Isha Khan Choudhury shows that 91% of appeals decided by West Bengal's electoral roll appellate tribunal have resulted in voter names being restored. Of 82,000 appeals disposed of by 7 August, 75,339 were upheld, while 7,339 were rejected. The tribunal had received 38.10 lakh appeals in total, but has only decided 2.17% of them. The National Herald reports that the RTI reply has raised questions about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, noting that 27.28 lakh voters were marked 'not eligible' in the final roll, yet only 7 lakh of them filed appeals. The reply also reveals that 31 lakh of the 38 lakh appeals challenge inclusions, not exclusions. The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to file an affidavit detailing the number of appeals pending, disposed of, and allowed. The Hindu provides broader context, reporting that the Supreme Court in May 2026 upheld the Election Commission's authority to conduct the SIR, finding it pursued a legitimate aim of restoring electoral roll integrity. The court rejected arguments that the process was arbitrary, noting safeguards like speaking orders and appellate remedies were provided. ## Indian Opinion Analysis National Herald's report leads with the high restoration rate and unanswered questions about who filed 31 lakh appeals against inclusions, framing the SIR as opaque and procedurally flawed. The Hindu's piece foregrounds the Supreme Court's validation of the SIR's constitutional basis and the safeguards the Court cited. Neither source addresses the 10-lakh gap between the 27.28 lakh 'not eligible' voters and the 38.10 lakh total appeals received. The Supreme Court's next hearing will test whether the tribunal's opaque functioning withstands judicial scrutiny. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - nationalheraldindia.com (government critical) Highlights 91% reversal rate and unanswered questions about the SIR process, framing ECI as opaque. - thehindu.com (neutral report) Reports Supreme Court's validation of SIR authority and safeguards without editorialising on outcomes. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T19:46:29+00:00. Tags: Election Commission of India, Isha Khan Choudhury, Supreme Court of India, West Bengal Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/91-of-sir-appeals-succeed-in-bengal-rti-reply-shows/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/91-of-sir-appeals-succeed-in-bengal-rti-reply-shows/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/