‘Will not tolerate’ allegations against judicial officers’ integrity says SC on Bengal SIR

The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly objected to applications raising concerns about the functioning of judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, saying it would not tolerate any attempt to question their integrity. The court described such submissions as premature and emphasised that the officers were carrying out their duties under judicial supervision.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the observation while hearing a batch of petitions related to the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. The Chief Justice said applications suggesting a lack of trust in judicial officers were unacceptable and warned against casting doubt on their impartiality during the revision process.

The court also indicated that the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Sujoy Paul, may constitute a special appellate bench comprising sitting or former judges to hear appeals against decisions taken by judicial officers during the SIR process. Individuals whose claims for inclusion in the electoral rolls are rejected would be able to approach this mechanism.

The bench directed that the Election Commission of India would bear the expenses of the appellate body as well as the honorarium for former judges or judicial officers engaged in the process. The court also asked the commission to issue a notification formally announcing the constitution of the appellate mechanism.

During the hearing, it was submitted that several lakh claims had already been decided while many more were still under adjudication. The court noted that judicial officers from West Bengal and neighbouring states had been deployed to assist in the large-scale revision exercise after concerns about trust between the state government and the Election Commission were earlier raised.

The bench further directed the Election Commission to provide full assistance to the judicial officers conducting the revision. It also instructed the commission to ensure that no technical or procedural step disrupts the process without approval from the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice and asked that any issues related to portal access or log-in systems be resolved immediately.