SC orders judicial supervision from Calcutta HC in Bengal SIR process

In an “extraordinary” intervention in the Bengal Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Calcutta High Court to appoint serving and former judicial officers to assist in carrying out the voter roll revision exercise in West Bengal. Observing a deep trust deficit between the Mamata Banerjee government and the Election Commission, the apex court said it had “hardly any other option” but to seek judicial supervision to ensure fairness in handling claims and objections related to the discrepancy list.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant noted that allegations and counter-allegations between the state government and the Election Commission had stalled the process at the stage of examining claims and objections. The court said judicial officers, in the rank of additional district judges or district judges, could help scrutinise documents and oversee inclusion or exclusion of names in the voter list to ensure impartial adjudication.

Calling the situation “extraordinary circumstances,” the court directed the State Election Commissioner, the chief secretary, the police chief and other senior officials to meet the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to work out operational details. The bench also expressed disappointment over what it described as inadequate cooperation from the state in responding to earlier directions regarding deployment of officers for the SIR exercise.

The dispute over the voter roll clean-up has intensified amid the run-up to the Bengal Assembly elections. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Election Commission of unfairly targeting certain states and alleged misuse of the SIR exercise, while Election Commission sources have countered those claims. The Supreme Court’s latest directive seeks to break the deadlock and restore confidence in the revision process.

With the appointment of judicial officers now on the table, the focus shifts to how swiftly the High Court and state authorities implement the apex court’s order to resume and complete the SIR exercise without further delay.