Won’t let anyone impede SIR: SC tells Bengal DGP to file reply

“Whatever orders or clarification required, we will issue. But we will not allow any impediment in SIR. This must be understood by all states,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said while hearing petitions, including the one filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state.

The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice NV Anjaria, also directed the West Bengal DGP to file an affidavit to spell out his stand on the Election Commission’s allegation that its notices were burnt down by miscreants.

Noting that West Bengal has provided a list of 8,505 Group B officers to the poll panel for the SIR exercise, the Bench extended the deadline for scrutiny of documents submitted by affected persons by one week beyond February 14, the scheduled date for publication of the final list, to help electoral registration officers (EROs) to take appropriate decisions as the process was likely to take some time.

The EC said so far, no FIR had been registered against the miscreants. “A message must go that the Constitution applies to all states,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said.

The Supreme Court acknowledged the West Bengal Government’s submission of a list of 8,505 Group B officers to assist the poll panel and said they could be trained and deployed for the SIR process. It said the final decisions on electoral roll revisions would rest solely with electoral roll officers, while the EC would decide how the officers were utilised.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan reiterated on behalf of Mamata the apprehensions over the appointment of micro-observers and the risk of large-scale deletion of eligible voters. “We don't want any mass exclusion,” Divan said.