The Supreme Court on Friday issued “extraordinary” directives regarding the ongoing dispute between the state government and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal. The Supreme Court directed Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul to depute current and former district judges to assist in the process. The court stated that there was a trust deficit between the government and the commission. Claims and objections related to the SIR draft roll will be handled and monitored by officers and judges appointed by the High Court. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi stated that orders by judicial officers would be deemed court orders. The Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) must ensure compliance with these orders. The Election Commission has been granted permission to publish the final voter list on February 28th. However, it has been given the flexibility to issue a supplementary list later if needed. 4 Supreme Court Directives Courtroom LIVE TMC Praises Supreme Court’s Decision TMC hails Supreme Court’s decision, calling it a major victory for the people. The TMC says this proves that there were irregularities in the revision process and that the names of genuine voters were being removed. Meanwhile, the BJP blamed the state government for the confusion. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the state administration was obstructing the process, while the Election Commission wanted a fair revision. The BJP claims the SIR is necessary to remove fake voters, while the TMC calls it an attempt to target genuine voters. Seven complaints filed against the CEC in South 24 Parganas Seven complaints were filed at the Jibanthala police station against the Chief Electoral Officer in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, accusing him of harassing people during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). These complaints were filed by some people, including TMC MLA Saukat Molla. The police officer said the complaints would be investigated. The MLA said a large number of names have been recommended for deletion from the voter list in his constituency. The MLA alleged that attempts were made to remove approximately 33,000 names, mostly from the Muslim community, and called it a conspiracy to block genuine voters. He also leveled serious allegations against Gyanesh Kumar. A local BJP leader told PTI that no such official list had been released and that an FIR could not be filed directly against the head of the Election Commission of India. Previous hearings related to the case… February 9: No obstruction will be allowed in the SIR process. The Supreme Court stated that no obstruction will be tolerated in the SIR process. This applies to all states. Orders will be issued if necessary. The EC filed an affidavit in the court alleging that some miscreants burned SIR notices in Bengal, and no FIR has been filed in this matter so far. The court has sought a response from the DGP of Bengal. The DGP has been asked to provide information about the steps taken to maintain law and order. Read the full story… February 4: Mamata Banerjee stated that the EC is targeting Bengal. Mamata Banerjee stated in court that an attempt is being made to accomplish something that should have taken two years, two months before the elections. People are being harassed during the agricultural season. Why is there a rush to complete this in three months after 24 years? More than 100 people have lost their lives. BLOs are losing their lives due to ECI harassment. She stated that Bengal is being targeted. Why isn’t this happening in Assam and the Northeast? Read the full story… January 28: Mamata Banerjee files petition in the Supreme Court. Mamata Banerjee filed a petition in the Supreme Court on January 28. She has named the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal as parties to the case. Previously, on January 3, she had written to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, calling the SIR arbitrary and flawed and demanding its suspension. ——————————– Read this news also… Election Commission suspends 7 officers of West Bengal, SIR alleges negligence and misuse of power Election Commission (ECI) has suspended 7 officers in West Bengal. All of them are accused of serious negligence, dereliction of duty and misuse of statutory powers in the Special Intensive Review (SIR). The Commission also directed the Chief Secretary of West Bengal to take action against the suspended officers. Read the full news…
