National Desk : VOC

Judicial Officers to Take Final Call on ‘Suspect

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In a major intervention in West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the final decision on “suspect voters” will now rest with judicial officers. The complex issue of logical discrepancies in voter data will also be resolved by members of the judiciary.

Just 24 hours after issuing landmark directions, the Supreme Court of India set in motion an unprecedented mechanism to ensure transparency and neutrality in the voter verification process.

On Saturday, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Sujoy Pal, convened a high-level virtual meeting with senior officials of the state government and the Election Commission. Judges from all districts, along with recently retired judicial officers, participated in the discussion.

150 District Judges to Begin Verification Work

According to sources, around 150 District and Sessions Judges will be deployed from Monday to scrutinize SIR-related documents. A special training programme will precede the verification process.

In addition, seven retired judges of the Calcutta High Court have been shortlisted to supervise and monitor the entire exercise. Although the total number of serving and retired judges to be engaged has not yet been finalized, the Chief Justice has made it clear that the process will strictly follow the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

Leaves Cancelled, Training Programmes Suspended

Following the meeting, the Registrar General of the High Court issued an official notification stating that:

All leaves of judicial officers across West Bengal are cancelled until March 9

No leave will be granted except for medical or extreme emergencies

Officers currently on leave must resume duty by February 23

All judicial training programmes have been temporarily suspended

Training sessions scheduled at the Judicial Academy up to March 9 have been cancelled

These extraordinary measures underline the urgency and scale of the voter verification exercise.

High-Level Administrative Presence

The meeting was attended by key officials including:

Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty

Director General of Police Piyush Pandey

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal

Advocate General Kishore Dutta

Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju

Officials indicated that further review meetings may be held depending on the progress of the work.

How Many Voters Will Be Verified?

Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal stated that all district-wise and constituency-wise data would be provided by the Election Commission. He also assured that logistical and administrative support would be extended from Delhi, District Election Offices, and other levels of the administration.

Although Saturday was the official last day of scrutiny, document-related issues were resolved across districts until midnight. By Sunday, the exact number of voter records requiring judicial verification is expected to become clear. The final decision on this figure will be taken by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

A Rare Judicial Oversight of Electoral Rolls

Legal experts describe this move as unprecedented in India’s electoral history. For the first time, the judiciary will directly oversee large-scale verification of voter data, shifting the responsibility from purely administrative authorities to judicial scrutiny.

While the decision is expected to enhance transparency and public confidence in the electoral process, it also places enormous responsibility and workload on the judicial system within a very short timeframe.

National Desk : Voice of Calcutta