'Won't create impediments in completion of SIR': SC tells Bengal
What's the story
The Supreme Court has warned the West Bengal government against creating any "impediments" in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls process. The court was hearing petitions challenging the SIR process by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Chief Justice Surya Kant said, "We will remove hurdles but...we will not create any impediments in completion of SIR. Let us be very clear about it." The court also extended deadlines for scrutiny and finalization of data by one week.
Officer scrutiny
Concerns over electoral registration officers' appointments
During the hearing, Senior advocate DS Naidu, appearing for the ECI, raised concerns over the appointment of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). He argued that EROs perform quasi-judicial functions and should have adequate adjudicatory experience. Naidu said while the ECI sought around 300 Group B officers, only 64 with such experience were appointed. The remaining appointments were based on pay parity, with engineers among those ill-equipped for adjudicatory decisions under SIR.
Observer role
Micro observers questioned, draft electoral roll data shared
The role of micro observers was also questioned during the hearing. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Mamata Banerjee, argued that large-scale deletion of voter names couldn't be done through micro observers. He informed the court that the SIR process would end on February 14, but it was later extended by a week to finalize SIR data. He said the draft electoral roll includes 7.08 crore voters, with 6.75 crore mapped and 1.36 crore under "logical discrepancy."
Decision-making
Micro observers assist EROs, but don't have final decision-making powers
Responding to these concerns, CJI Surya Kant said micro observers assist EROs and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) but don't have final decision-making powers. The bench observed that final authority rests with EROs and more officers could enhance decision quality. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the West Bengal government, criticized the deputation of micro observers from outside West Bengal, citing their unfamiliarity with local conditions.