NewKerala.com

Bengal Voter List Uncertainty: 50 Lakh Documents Await Judicial Scrutiny

Uncertainty persists over the exact number of West Bengal voter documents flagged for judicial verification following a Supreme Court directive, with estimates ranging from 45 to 50 lakh. A meeting chaired by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul decided to appoint 250 judicial officers to adjudicate these cases arising from the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Justice Paul expressed doubts about completing the massive verification within a short timeframe and plans to seek clarifications from the Election Commission of India. The final voters' list will be published on February 28, excluding the disputed documents, with supplementary lists to follow later.

Key Points: Bengal Voter List Discrepancy: Judicial Officers to Verify 50 Lakh Cases

  • 45-50 lakh voter documents for judicial check
  • 250 judicial officers appointed
  • Final list due Feb 28 minus disputed cases
  • Court cancels judicial leaves till March 9
2 min read

Bengal SIR: Uncertainty remains on number of voter documents for judicial verification

Uncertainty remains as 45-50 lakh Bengal voter documents with "logical discrepancies" await judicial verification before the final electoral roll publication.

"it could not be ascertained... on the exact number of voters' documents - CEO Office Insider"

Kolkata, Feb 22

As the deadline for the expiration of the scrutiny phase of the voters' documents submitted during the hearing session on claims and objections to the draft voters' list in West Bengal has concluded, uncertainty remains regarding the number of voters' documents classified as "logical discrepancy" cases that are to be verified by the judicial officers, as instructed by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court.

The deadline ended on Saturday midnight 12.

At the meeting chaired by the Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Sujoy Paul on Saturday, it was decided to appoint 250 judicial officers to oversee the adjudication of claims and objections arising from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal. The meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Chief Secretary Nandini Goswami, Acting Director General of Police Peeyush Pandey, State Advocate General Kishore Datta, and one Additional Solicitor General on behalf of the Union government.

"However, since at the time the meeting ended on late Saturday evening, the regular scrutiny was going on, it could not be ascertained at the meeting on the exact number of voters' documents that would be referred to the judicial officers for adjudication," an insider from the CEO's office said.

He added that an estimate had been drawn that the number of voters' documents to be referred for adjudication by the judicial officers will approximately range between 45 lakh and 50 lakh.

The CEO's office insider further said Justice Paul, during the meeting, expressed doubts over completing such a large number of voters' documents within a short period of time. He is likely to have a virtual meeting with the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s top official later in the day and seek further clarifications.

As of now, it has been decided that the final voters' list in West Bengal will be published as per schedule on February 28, minus those voters' documents to be referred to judicial officials for adjudication, and supplementary lists will be published later accordingly.

On Saturday, the Calcutta High Court also issued a notification cancelling leaves of all judicial officers in West Bengal till March 9 and directed those currently on leave to join their respective courts and offices by Monday. Emergency medical leaves were excluded from the notification that cancelled the leaves.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Cancelling leaves of all judicial officers till March 9 shows the gravity of the situation. Hats off to their dedication 👏. But verifying millions of documents in such a short time is a mammoth task. Hope the process is thorough and fair.
R
Rohit P
Why does this uncertainty arise at the last minute every election cycle in Bengal? The preparation should start much earlier. This last-minute scramble affects public confidence in the electoral roll. EC needs to plan better.
A
Ananya R
The final list will be published minus these disputed documents. That's a practical step. At least genuine voters whose papers are in order won't be penalized by a delay. The supplementary lists can follow. Hope the judicial officers get all support!
M
Michael C
Observing from outside, this seems like a robust process with judicial oversight. The Supreme Court's involvement and the high-level meeting are positive signs for electoral integrity. The scale of the task, however, is immense.
K
Kavya N
As a citizen, my main concern is that my vote is not denied because of some "logical discrepancy" I know nothing about. The CEO's office should run a widespread awareness campaign on how people can check their status and fix issues.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50