Overview
- The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declined to direct passport authorities to process a Tatkaal application from Cooch Behar resident Sirajul Shekh after his name was deleted from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision.
- The court disposed of the writ petition by asking the SIR Appellate Tribunal to take up Shekh’s pending appeal at an early date rather than override the tribunal process or keep the passport application alive.
- Justice Kausik Chanda warned that, at current speeds, the SIR appellate tribunals in West Bengal could take about 21 years to clear the backlog of appeals, a timeline the court said makes individual relief impractical without faster disposal.
- Central government guidance remains unclear: the Ministry of External Affairs says a passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship, and the Supreme Court has said the Election Commission cannot decide citizenship in SIR exercises.
- The dispute highlights wide human and administrative costs — urgent medical travel and renewals are held up, case-by-case decisions vary for applicants such as R. Rajagopal, and campaigners and lawyers are calling for clear, faster policy and tribunal action.