The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to make public the names of voters marked with “logical discrepancies” during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. The court said the list must be displayed at gram panchayat bhavans, block offices of talukas and ward offices across the state. According to the Election Commission, around 1.25 crore voters in West Bengal have been placed on the “logical discrepancies” list. These discrepancies mainly relate to problems in linking voter details with the 2002 electoral rolls.
The issues include cases where a voter’s parent’s name does not match earlier records or where the age gap between the voter and the parent is unusually small or large. In some instances, the age difference is less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
Court seeks correction in records
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi, said that voters who may be affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process must be given a fair chance to respond. The court allowed them to submit documents or raise objections to correct their records.
To make this process easier, the court ordered that facilities for submitting documents and objections should be set up within panchayat bhavans and block offices. It also directed the West Bengal government to provide sufficient staff to assist the State Election Commission during this exercise.
SC directs Bengal Police to maintain law and order
The bench said all districts must strictly follow the instructions issued by the Election Commission of India or the state government to ensure smooth functioning. It further directed the Director General of Police of West Bengal to maintain law and order during the process and ensure that all activities are completed peacefully.
The Supreme Court was hearing petitions that alleged arbitrariness and procedural lapses in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls currently underway in the state.
