Kolkata: Election Commission of India (ECI) is likely to tweak its portal to allow Special Intensive Revision (SIR) tribunal judges to consider documents beyond the 13 currently being accepted by EC’s portal and let them record their observations while disposing of appeals, tribunal sources said.Judges had earlier contended that they should be free to consider any relevant and acceptable document. The stand-off had led to a situation in which no SIR tribunal judge has been able to upload a single order for over a month because the issues they flagged still persist.After EC “assurances”, retired Calcutta High Court judge Indrajit Chatterjee, who was hearing Murshidabad appeals and who had earlier said he would step down from Nov 2 because of the long daily commute and bad roads, has agreed to continue. “Justice Chatterjee is not resigning. He will continue to hear appeals. EC has promised to make amends that will allow the tribunals to function better,” a source in the tribunal told TOI.The tribunal judges are also likely to use digital signatures instead of Aadhaar-based authentication, which they had objected to. EC is also considering shifting the SIR tribunals from Joka to a more accessible location, sources said.TOI had on Oct 1 reported that adjudication of SIR appeals in Bengal has hit a roadblock, with tribunal judges refusing to log into the new portal introduced by EC on Sept 21.The judges had earlier objected to EC’s portal restricting them to considering only 13 documents while disposing of the appeals. They said the new portal violated the legal mandate. Supreme Court had in March 2026, while ordering the formation of SIR tribunals, noted the 13 EC-specified documents that can be considered for adjudication. The apex court, however, clarified that the list was “indicative”, not “exhaustive”. The judges had then said they were a quasi-judicial authority under the order of Supreme Court and were “free to consider any documents which appear to be relevant and acceptable for the purpose of proper adjudication of the appeal.”The tribunal judges also objected to EC portal forcing them to use their Aadhaar credentials to log in. “This too is likely to change. Judges will be able to use their digital signatures. They will not have to give their Aadhaar credentials,” said a source. The source added that the promises have been made and the tribunal judges expected these to be implemented soon.The promises may have been made, but judges have yet to upload any order on the portal since Sept 21. “No order can be uploaded till the changes are implemented,” said the source.EC is also likely to shift the tribunals to a more convenient location. The new location of the tribunals has yet to be decided. All the tribunal judges now function from Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) in Joka.
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