‘Logical discrepancy’ figures sealed at Calcutta HC meeting; deadline set for uploads

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul at the Calcutta High Court on Thursday has set the course for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list amid an ongoing political and administrative deadlock. The one-and-a-half-hour meeting resulted in key decisions, including sealing the figures related to “logical discrepancies” and confirming that data recorded up to midnight on February 21 will be treated as final. The Election Commission is expected to publish the authenticated figures shortly.

The meeting focused on streamlining the disposal of discrepancy-related cases through judicial officers. Directions were issued to create login IDs by Thursday evening for the remaining judicial officers so they can immediately begin addressing disputes linked to the SIR process. In a move aimed at enhancing transparency, it was decided that daily progress reports from judicial officers at the Assembly level will be submitted directly to the High Court.

In compliance with Supreme Court directions, discussions were also held regarding security, accommodation and logistical arrangements for judicial officers expected from Jharkhand and Odisha. While their arrival dates are yet to be finalised pending communication from the respective High Courts, they are slated to be deployed across various Assembly constituencies once approvals are received.

To address administrative delays, strict timelines were set. All documents received by February 14 but pending upload must be placed on the system by Thursday and Friday without fail. These measures are intended to ensure procedural clarity and prevent further controversy in the revision exercise.

The Supreme Court had earlier entrusted oversight of the SIR process to the judiciary to ensure fairness ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal. The presence of Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, DGP Piyush Pandey, Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar, and Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta at the meeting underscored the seriousness with which the administration is approaching the sensitive issue.