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Politics
West Bengal SIR tribunals could take up to 12 years to decide appeals
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 21 Sep 2026, 07:31 AM
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The Times of India reports that appeals before West Bengal's SIR tribunals face a backlog that could extend decision times to 12 years.
The Times of India has highlighted a severe delay in the State Information Review (SIR) tribunals of West Bengal. According to the report, the pendency of cases could stretch to as long as twelve years before a final decision is rendered.
Legal experts say such a protracted timeline undermines the purpose of the tribunals, which are meant to provide swift redressal for information-related grievances. The backlog is attributed to a combination of limited judicial resources and a rising number of appeals filed since the tribunals' inception.
The extended wait time raises concerns among civil society groups, who argue that delayed justice erodes public confidence in the state's information governance framework. Authorities have been urged to consider measures such as increasing the number of tribunal members or adopting digital case-management systems to accelerate proceedings.
No official response has been recorded from the West Bengal government as of now, but the report underscores the urgency of addressing the systemic delays to ensure timely access to information for citizens.
Legal experts say such a protracted timeline undermines the purpose of the tribunals, which are meant to provide swift redressal for information-related grievances. The backlog is attributed to a combination of limited judicial resources and a rising number of appeals filed since the tribunals' inception.
The extended wait time raises concerns among civil society groups, who argue that delayed justice erodes public confidence in the state's information governance framework. Authorities have been urged to consider measures such as increasing the number of tribunal members or adopting digital case-management systems to accelerate proceedings.
No official response has been recorded from the West Bengal government as of now, but the report underscores the urgency of addressing the systemic delays to ensure timely access to information for citizens.