New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday made it clear that it will not permit any obstruction in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, amid concerns raised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the possibility of large-scale exclusion of voters during the exercise.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria said the court would issue all necessary directions and clarifications to ensure the smooth conduct of the revision process. The Bench emphasised that no individual or authority would be allowed to create hurdles in the SIR exercise and said this position must be clearly understood by all states.
The observations came while the court was hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by Banerjee, challenging aspects of the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in the state. The court took note of an affidavit submitted by the Election Commission, which alleged that notices issued as part of the exercise were burned by miscreants at certain places.
Taking a serious view of the allegations, the Bench directed the West Bengal Director General of Police to file an affidavit detailing the incidents. The Election Commission informed the court that, so far, no FIR had been registered in connection with the alleged acts of vandalism.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Constitution of India applies uniformly across all states and said a clear message must go out to that effect.
The Bench also noted that the West Bengal government had provided a list of 8,505 Group B officers to the Election Commission for assistance in the revision process. It observed that these officers could be trained and deployed for the exercise, while clarifying that the final authority to revise electoral rolls would continue to rest with the designated electoral roll officers.
The court further said that decisions regarding the manner of deployment and work profile of these officers would be taken by the Election Commission.
During the hearing, senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Banerjee, reiterated concerns about the appointment of micro-observers and warned against the risk of eligible voters being excluded on a large scale. He told the Bench that there should be no scope for mass exclusion in the process.
