National Desk : VOC

Supreme Court Extends SIR Scrutiny Deadline in West Bengal

The Supreme Court has extended the timeline for scrutiny under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in West Bengal by seven days. The hearing will conclude on February 14, and the scrutiny process will continue until February 21. The final electoral roll will be published thereafter.

The Court clarified that only the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) will have the authority to take final decisions during the hearing process. Micro observers will not have any decision-making powers and will only assist the officers.

The apex court strongly criticized the Election Commission over notices issued on the basis of “logical discrepancies” or minor data mismatches. Justice Jaymalya Bagchi expressed concern that ordinary citizens were being harassed over issues such as spelling errors in names and age differences with parents. He also remarked that the Commission’s software was limited and had wrongly flagged many Bengali names, especially those with common middle names like “Kumar.”

During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant sought clarification on the role of micro observers. The Commission stated that they were appointed only to support EROs and AEROs and could not take independent decisions. The Court reiterated that final authority rests solely with EROs and AEROs.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, informed the Court that the state government had deployed around 8,500 personnel for the process and directed them to join duty immediately with necessary training.

The Court also rejected objections raised by Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha against the Chief Minister personally arguing the case. Chief Justice Surya Kant said that a Chief Minister approaching the Court reflects faith in the Constitution and should not be politicized.

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had requested that the power to decide inclusion or deletion of names from the voter list should remain with district and electoral officers, and not with micro observers appointed from BJP-ruled states. The Supreme Court accepted this request and directed that micro observers may only assist, while EROs will take final decisions.

National Desk : Voice of Calcutta