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ECI Suspends 7 Bengal Officials for Dereliction in Voter Roll Process

The Election Commission of India has suspended seven West Bengal officials for serious misconduct and dereliction of duty related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. This action coincides with a Supreme Court order extending the deadline for publishing the final electoral roll by one week. The Court also issued a show-cause notice to the state's Director General of Police concerning allegations of violence and burnt election records. A revised schedule has been set, with the final electoral roll now slated for publication on February 28.

Key Points: ECI Suspends 7 WB Officials Over Electoral Roll Lapses

  • 7 officials suspended for SIR process lapses
  • SC extended voter roll publication deadline
  • Show-cause notice to WB DGP over violence
  • Revised schedule for electoral roll completion
2 min read

ECI suspends 7 West Bengal officials for misuse of powers and dereliction in SIR process

Election Commission suspends 7 West Bengal officials for misconduct in voter list revision. SC extends deadline for final electoral roll publication.

"serious misconduct, dereliction of duty, and misuse of statutory powers - Election Commission of India"

Kolkata, February 16

The Election Commission of India has suspended seven officials in West Bengal, directing the Chief Secretary to initiate disciplinary proceedings against them for "serious misconduct, dereliction of duty, and misuse of statutory powers in connection with the Special Intensive Revision process.

The suspended officials include: i) Dr Sefaur Rahaman, Assistant Director of Agriculture Department and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) for 56-Samserganj Assembly Constituency; ii) Nitish Das, Revenue Officer, Farakka and AERO for 55-Farakka Assembly Constituency; iii) Dalia Ray Choudhury, Women Development Officer, Maynaguri Development Block and AERO for 16-Maynaguri Assembly Constituency; iv) Sk. Murshid Alam, ADA, Suti Block and AERO for 57-Suti Assembly Constituency; v & vi) Satyajit Das, Joint Block Development Officer (BDO) and Joydeep Kundu, FEO, both AEROs of 139-Canning Purbo Assembly Constituency; and vii) Debashis Biswas, Jt BDO and AERO 229-Debra Assembly Constituency.

Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal announced a revised schedule for the ongoing SIR process in the state on Tuesday, following a Supreme Court order.

In its statement, the CEO said the hearing of notices will be completed by February 14. The review of the documents and disposal of the claim will be completed by February 21.

The statement also said that the rationalisation of polling stations will be completed by February 25. The health parameter checks are to be conducted by February 27. The final electoral roll will be published on February 28.

This revision was announced following the Supreme Court's judgment ordering a one-week extension to publish the final electoral roll under the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.

The Court also issued a show-cause notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal over allegations of violence and the burning of election records during the revision process.

The final electoral roll, which was earlier scheduled to be published on February 14, will now be released after the extended timeline.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the extension was necessary as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) required additional time to scrutinise documents and take appropriate decisions.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
This is concerning. The Supreme Court had to step in, and now officials are being suspended. It raises questions about the overall administration of the process in the state. Hope the revised timeline is adhered to strictly.
P
Priya S
Suspension is just the first step. There must be a thorough, transparent investigation and proper disciplinary proceedings. We need to know what exactly they did wrong. The burning of election records mentioned is especially shocking!
R
Rohit P
While action is necessary, I hope the ECI and state administration also look at the systemic pressures these ground-level officers might be under. The process seems very rushed. The Supreme Court's extension was much needed.
M
Michael C
The show-cause notice to the DGP is a major development. Allegations of violence and record burning point to a much deeper problem than just dereliction of duty by a few officials. The ECI must ensure a free and fair environment for the revision.
K
Kavya N
Finally some accountability! This SIR process affects every voter. We deserve a clean roll. Hope the new officials appointed are more diligent. Let's see if the final roll on Feb 28 is accurate. 🤞

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