The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to file its response within a week to petitions filed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, alleging serious procedural lapses in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Court's Directive and Core Allegations
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the urgent applications filed by TMC MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen. The bench granted the ECI seven days to submit its reply, rejecting the Commission's initial request for two weeks. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing O'Brien, opposed the longer timeline, emphasising that January 15 is the critical deadline for filing claims and objections regarding the voter list.
The core allegation in O'Brien's application is that the ECI is bypassing formal channels and issuing instructions to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other officials through informal platforms like WhatsApp. This practice, the plea contends, makes it impossible to establish a proper audit trail for the instructions being followed during the revision process. Sibal told the court, "Very weird procedures are being followed in West Bengal. Some WhatsApp messages are being sent… on the basis of that, the authorities are acting without written orders."
The Issue of 'Logical Discrepancy' Voters
A significant point of contention raised in the plea is the ECI's introduction of a new 'logical discrepancy' category of voters. According to the petition, voters are being summoned for quasi-judicial hearings based on alleged anomalies flagged by system-generated algorithms. These discrepancies can include minor issues like spelling variations in names, inconsistencies in parental information, or age-related data mismatches.
The TMC MPs argue that this categorisation is being misused, potentially subjecting legitimate voters to unnecessary scrutiny and hearings. The plea suggests this process could be a precursor to the unjustified deletion of names from the electoral rolls.
Constitutional Concerns and Potential Impact
Dola Sen's separate application labels the SIR orders as arbitrary and unconstitutional. The plea warns that the current process, if allowed to continue unchecked, will lead to the invalid deletion of a large number of genuine voters from the rolls in West Bengal. This, they argue, strikes at the heart of democratic representation and the right to franchise.
The Supreme Court's intervention and the tight one-week deadline underscore the urgency of the matter, given the impending revision deadline. The ECI's response, expected by next week, will be crucial in determining the future course of the SIR process in the state and addressing the concerns over transparency and due procedure.
