Kolkata: An SIR tribunal judge adjudicating appeals from Murshidabad has written to the Calcutta High Court chief justice, resigning with effect from Nov 2. He cited poor road conditions that force him to commute four hours daily between his Salt Lake home and the tribunal office in Joka.“It is impossible to work under such conditions and do justice to the mammoth responsibilities bestowed on us,” said former Calcutta HC judge Indrajit Chatterjee, who took over as judge of Appellate Tribunal 11 last April.He admits in the letter that he did accept the assignment voluntarily, but wasn’t aware that the work would continue for so many days. “The venue was not informed to me prior to such acceptance… It is not possible for me to continue with this service with effect from 2nd November 2026,” the letter to Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge reads.Justice Chatterjee told TOI that he consulted fellow tribunal judges, who have voiced similar concerns, before drafting the letter to the chief justice.The letter has been copied to state chief electoral officer Neelam Meena.The SIR tribunals, which function out of SPM Niwas in Joka, are hearing appeals against exclusion of names from, as well as inclusion in, the electoral roll during the SIR.In his letter, Justice Chatterjee has written that he has to travel 70km to and from the tribunal office daily. “It is difficult for me to bear such a hazardous journey in such road conditions in a highly traffic-clogged city,” he has written. The letter says he leaves home at 9.30am and takes around two hours to reach the tribunal. “If I leave my workplace around 5pm, by the time I am home, it is nearly 7pm.”The judge has also mentioned that he puts in nearly 10 hours every day for this job and is paid only Rs 2,133 per day after a 36% tax deduction. With 7,47,621 appeals from Murshidabad still pending, Justice Chatterjee has one of the highest workloads among all tribunal judges.The judge has written that he is “keeping the option open to render my services… if the venue is within 12km from Salt Lake…” He is also willing to work from home.“I have written that if I do not receive any response from ECI within 21 days, the authorities should treat the letter dated Sept 25 as my resignation letter,” the judge told TOI.
