Supreme Court Asks Calcutta HC to Deploy Judicial Officers for Bengal Voter Roll Revision Amid EC-State Row

• Supreme Court has asked the Calcutta High Court to appoint judicial officers for West Bengal's voter roll revision work.
• The top court flagged a "trust deficit" and blame game between the state government and the Election Commission.
• Judicial officers will now help examine claims and objections linked to the SIR exercise.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Calcutta High Court to assign judicial officers to assist West Bengal in carrying out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, noting that the process has stalled amid ongoing friction between the state government and the Election Commission.

The court said the intervention was necessary as the revision process is stuck at the stage of claims and objections from individuals flagged in the discrepancy list.

Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that allegations and counter-allegations between the two constitutional authorities have created a situation where trust has eroded, delaying the voter roll clean-up drive.

Judicial Officers To Oversee Claims

The court asked the high court to free up serving as well as former judicial officers of district judge rank to handle disputes and review documents related to voter inclusion or exclusion. Calling it an "extraordinary order" passed in "extraordinary circumstances", the bench said there was little option left to ensure fairness in the process.

To finalise operational details, the Supreme Court directed a meeting between top state officials and the Calcutta High Court chief justice.

Officials asked to coordinate include:

State Election Commissioner
Chief Secretary and Police Chief
Other senior administrative officers

The court said judicial officers deployed across districts would help dispose of or revisit claims under the discrepancy list to maintain credibility in the revision exercise.

Concerns Over Administrative Coordination

The Supreme Court also highlighted disputes over the rank and status of officials deployed by the state government for election-related duties. It noted that the state is obligated to provide senior officers for key electoral roles but disagreements over appointments have complicated the process.

The bench remarked that it was nearly impossible for the court to verify the rank and status of officers currently deployed by the Election Commission through the state.

Strong Observations From Bench

During the hearing, the Chief Justice expressed disappointment over the lack of coordination and delayed responses from the state government. He noted that the court had expected cooperation but instead witnessed slow communication and confusion over deployment of officers.

The bench said it did not want private explanations and expected clearer updates from the state machinery regarding compliance with earlier directions.

Political Tensions Around SIR

The voter roll revision has turned into a major political flashpoint ahead of the West Bengal assembly election. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Election Commission of using the SIR exercise to remove genuine voters and target certain states.

She recently met Election Commission officials in Delhi and questioned why similar exercises were not conducted in some BJP-ruled states. The Commission, however, has denied bias and maintained that the exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate electoral rolls.