New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today delivered a strong message to all state governments: the process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls cannot be obstructed. The top court also extended the deadline for SIR in West Bengal by one more week, from February 14
“Whatever orders or clarification required, we will issue. But we will not allow any impediment to the SIR process. This must be understood by all states,” Chief Justice Surya Kant said during proceedings.
The observation came as the court heard the Election Commission’s (EC) response to a petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the SIR exercise in the state.
The case is being heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi.
At the heart of the dispute is the Election Commission’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, an exercise that the state government has questioned. Mamata Banerjee has approached the court alleging irregularities in the process and questioning the deployment of thousands of micro-observers in the state.
The Election Commission, in turn, has defended its actions and accused the state government of failing to cooperate fully with its requests.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice remarked that 8,500 officers have now been deployed in connection with the exercise.
“If done earlier, it would probably get approved,” he said, in what appeared to be a reference to the timing of compliance by the state government.
The court questioned why there had been a delay in sending the names of more than 8,000 Group B officers to be used in place of micro-observers.
“Why delay in sending names of more than 8,000 Group B officers to be used in place of micro-observers,” the Supreme Court asked the West Bengal government.
The Chief Justice also directly questioned the timing of the state’s communication. Addressing Mamata Banerjee, he asked: “Why you are sending names on 12 am on
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