SC directs EC to display SIR discrepancy lists at West Bengal panchayat offices

The Supreme Court on Monday (January 19) directed the Election Commission to display the names of voters flagged for “logical discrepancies” during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls at gram panchayat bhavans in West Bengal.

Also Read: 54 lakh voter names deleted in Bengal SIR, 84 dead, alleges Mamata Banerjee

The court noted that 1.25 crore voters in the state of West Bengal figure on the "logical discrepancies" list.

SC bench's order

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi said that persons likely to be affected by the SIR exercise must be given an opportunity to submit documents or file objections within the prescribed framework.

The court directed that offices for submitting documents and objections be set up within gram panchayat bhavans or block offices to ensure easier access for affected voters.

“The state government shall provide adequate manpower to the State Election Commission for the deployment at the panchayat bhavans and block offices." the bench said.

Also Read: Mamata urges CEC to immediately halt Bengal SIR, calls process 'deeply compromised'

“In this regard, we direct that every district shall meticulously comply with the directions issued by the ECI or the state government for the staff for smooth functioning,” the bench said.

Maintain law and order

The bench further directed that the Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal would be responsible for ensuring that there is no law-and-order problem during the exercise and that all activities are completed smoothly.

The apex court was hearing petitions alleging arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal.