The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the unprecedented deployment of judicial officers to oversee the handling of claims and objections linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.

The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipin Pancholi said there was a clear lack of “trust deficit" between the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government and the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The court observed that there was an “unfortunate blame game of allegations and counter allegations", pointing to a breakdown in trust between the two constitutional functionaries — the State government and the EC.

“The process is stuck at the stage of claims and objections of the persons who have been included in the logical discrepancy list," it stated.

The Bench said that most individuals who were issued notices had already submitted documents in support of their claim for inclusion in the voter list, Bar and Bench reported.

“These claims are required to be adjudicated in a quasi-judicial process by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)," the court said.

Stressing the need for fairness, the court said, “In adjudication of genuineness of documents submitted and consequent inclusion or exclusion in voter list, we are left with hardly any other option but to request Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to spare some serving judicial officers along with some former judicial officers in the rank of Additional District Judge or District Judges who can then in each district aid in dispose or revisit the claims under the logical discrepancy list."

The Bench added that each officer shall be assisted by the ECI as well as officials deputed by the State government.

Source: News18