The Supreme Court of India on Friday ordered the appointment of serving or former additional district judges to supervise the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The bench said the judicial officers would be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, noting that the step became necessary due to a widening trust gap between the state government and the Election Commission of India.
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The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, observed during the hearing:
“The foremost issue for consideration is completion of the ongoing SIR in West Bengal. Various interim directions are issued from time to time. There is an unfortunate allegation/counter-allegation which clearly depicts a trust deficit between two constitutional functionaries – democratically elected state government and the ECI.”
The court said it was “left with hardly any other option” but to intervene, citing an “unfortunate blame game” between the two sides.
Dispute Over Appointment of Electoral Register Officers
The dispute centres on whether sufficient Group B officers in the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) have been provided by the Bengal government to function as Electoral Register Officers (EROs).
The Mamata Banerjee-led government objected to the ECI relying on micro-observers and special roll observers appointed by the Commission. In response, the Supreme Court directed that judicial officers would now perform the role of EROs to ensure neutrality.
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The court stated that these officers would revisit and dispose of pending claims under the “logical discrepancy” category. Each judicial officer would be assisted by micro-observers and state government officials already deputed for the process.
Interim Arrangements to Address Case Backlog
Acknowledging that the direction may affect regular court functioning, the Supreme Court requested the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to consult the Committee of Registrar General and District Judges to prepare an interim arrangement.
Urgent matters may be transferred to alternate courts to avoid disruption.
Additionally, district collectors and Superintendents of Police have been instructed to provide full logistical support to the appointed judicial officers to ensure smooth completion of the SIR process.
Voter List Publication on February 28
The court permitted publication of the final voter list on February 28, insofar as the revision process has been completed. It also allowed the Election Commission to publish supplementary lists after that date.
Further, the Bengal Director General of Police has been directed to file a supplementary affidavit detailing measures taken in response to complaints of threats faced by SIR officers.
The Bengal SIR has become a flashpoint between the state government and the poll body. Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared before the apex court, alleging that the state was being targeted ahead of the assembly elections.
She sought a pause on voter name deletions, particularly under the “logical discrepancy” category, and raised concerns about excessive workload on SIR officers.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission maintained that the state was not cooperating in providing officers and highlighted reported threats to officials involved in the process.
In a previous hearing, the top court had cautioned the state government against creating “impediments” in the completion of the SIR, while assuring that genuine procedural concerns would be addressed.
