The bench took note of an affidavit filed by the Election Commission (EC), which alleged that some miscreants had burnt notices issued as part of the SIR process. It directed the West Bengal Director General of Police to file an affidavit in this regard, noting that no FIR had been filed so far
Final decisions on electoral roll revision would rest with the electoral roll officers, the Supreme Court ruled. File pic
Amid West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee’s apprehensions over possible “mass exclusion” of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would not allow anyone to create impediments in the exercise, news agency PTI reported.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and NV Anjaria said it would issue necessary orders or clarifications, if required.
“We will not allow anyone to create any impediment in the SIR exercise. It must be clear to the states,” the Chief Justice said while hearing a batch of petitions, including a plea filed by Banerjee, relating to the ongoing voter roll revision in West Bengal.
The bench took note of an affidavit filed by the Election Commission (EC), which alleged that some miscreants had burnt notices issued as part of the SIR process. It directed the West Bengal Director General of Police to file an affidavit in this regard, noting that no first information report (FIR) had been registered so far, PTI reported.
“A message must go that the Constitution of India applies to all states,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court.
The top court also took note of the West Bengal government providing a list of 8,505 Group-B officers to the poll panel and said they could be trained and deployed for the SIR exercise. It clarified that final decisions on electoral roll revision would rest with the electoral roll officers, while the manner of deployment and work profile of these officers would be decided by the Election Commission, PTI reported.
During the hearing, senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Banerjee, raised concerns over the appointment of micro-observers and the possibility of mass exclusion of eligible voters.
“We don’t want any mass exclusion,” Divan told the bench.
Domicile certificate applications surge in Kolkata amid voter roll revision
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has received a record number of applications for domicile certificates over the past one-and-a-half months, a surge officials linked to the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Officials said around 14,000 applications were received till January 31, far exceeding the usual monthly average of fewer than 200.
Civic officials and Trinamool Congress councillors said demand for domicile certificates has risen sharply since the SIR process began, as the document has emerged as a key proof of residence for voters whose names were flagged or omitted during verification.
Following directions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the KMC opened dedicated counters at its headquarters and borough offices to ensure residents do not face difficulties in obtaining required documents.
A member of the KMC mayor-in-council described the spike as “unprecedented” compared to routine demand levels.
Applications submitted to the civic body are forwarded to the Kolkata sector collector’s office, where documents are verified through police checks before final approval is granted by a WBCS-rank officer for issuance of domicile certificates.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
