Today, the Supreme Court issued a stern warning against attempts to cast doubt on the integrity of judicial officers supervising the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, stating that such allegations would not be tolerated. The Court also proposed the creation of a dedicated appellate mechanism to hear challenges arising from decisions taken during the ongoing revision exercise.
The matter came up before the Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi while hearing petitions related to the electoral roll revision process being undertaken with the assistance of judicial officers from West Bengal and neighbouring States. During the hearing, certain applications highlighted the pendency of claims and objections before officers tasked with verifying voter eligibility. The Court, however, noted that the SIR exercise had already seen significant progress, with lakhs of claims processed and judicial officers working extensively to complete the verification process.
Responding sharply to concerns that appeared to question the role of these officers, the Bench defended their credibility and emphasised that the exercise was meant to ensure accuracy in electoral rolls by identifying genuine voters. The CJI Surya Kant observed, “No one should dare question the judicial officers. As a Chief Justice of India, I will not tolerate this.” To streamline dispute resolution, the Court indicated that the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court may constitute a special bench of former or sitting judges to hear appeals against decisions taken during the SIR process.
The Court further directed the Election Commission of India to bear the expenses associated with the functioning of this appellate mechanism and to issue an appropriate notification.
Disclaimer: This news/ article includes information received via a syndicated news feed. The original rights remain with the respective publisher.
Picture Source :
