Kolkata: The Supreme Court has finally given limited but significant relief to voters who were “under adjudication” in the West Bengal SIR by allowing those cleared by the appellate tribunals to cast their vote in the upcoming polls. Appeals will need to be cleared by the tribunals in two phases – by April 21 to allow voters to participate in the first phase on April 23, and by April 27 for voting in the second phase on April 29. The court has directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to issue supplementary revised electoral rolls wherever tribunals are able to decide appeals within those deadlines. While the order opens a legal window, whether that window can translate into real voting rights for lakhs of people remains the central question.The problem is one of scale and time. The tribunal process itself began functioning only on April 13, 2026. That leaves just five days before the first cut-off of April 21, and eleven days before the second cut-off of April 27.This narrow operational window is what makes the Supreme Court’s concession as much a logistical test as a legal victory. The court recorded that more than 34 lakh appeals had already been filed before the appellate tribunals. Of these, 14,28,771 people’s cases have to be decided by April 21 if they are to vote in the first phase, while another 12,87,622 must be decided by April 27 for the second phase. All of this has to be handled by just 19 judges. That arithmetic alone raises doubts about how far the relief can actually travel.Yet, there is still no public clarity on how many cases have actually been heard, and no official aggregate figure on how many excluded voters have been cleared so far. Officially, only a few cases are known to have resulted in relief, including two Congress MLAs and two members of Nandalal Bose’s family. Beyond these isolated instances, there is no transparent account of the pace of hearings, disposals or restorations. Asked about the tribunal’s progress, Dr Subrata Gupta, Special Observer for the ECI in West Bengal, said, “Won’t be able to say as it’s in the high court’s domain.”The court’s order, then, is important not because it resolves the crisis, but because it prevents the legal closure of the door before polling. But it has also drawn a hard line. Mere pendency of an appeal is not enough. Only those whose cases are actually decided in time and who receive clearance will have their names added to supplementary rolls and be able to vote.Politically, the ruling has already sparked competing claims of vindication. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed the order, saying, “Congratulations to everyone. I had been saying from the beginning that everyone should remain patient. I am very happy. I am proud of the judiciary. I was the one who filed the case. So today no one is happier than me.”For the petitioners, too, the verdict is being seen as a breakthrough won after sustained legal intervention. Mostari Banu, the first petitioner to move the Supreme Court in the matter, said, “It’s a victory for us. We had filed an appeal on April 13, requesting the court to allow voters tribunals found eligible to vote. We are happy that the Court has granted this. I was the first to file the case, today I stand vindicated.”The Left used the occasion to sharpen its attack on both the EC and the ruling establishment.Md Salim, CPI(M) state secretary, said, “We welcome the order. The case filed by CPI(M)’s Mostari Banu is bearing fruit. It is because of the EC’s inefficiency and the deliberately biased approach of government officials that lakhs of people have faced such harassment. The BJP must apologise.”That political messaging, however, cannot obscure the administrative reality. The court has provided a legal remedy, but only one that can work if the tribunal machinery is able to function at extraordinary speed. Without transparency, it is impossible to know whether the court’s intervention will remain symbolic or become meaningful.The Supreme Court has opened the door. Whether lakhs of excluded voters can actually pass through it before polling day is the question that now hangs over West Bengal’s election.