As Final Voter List Deadline Approaches, Delay In Appointing Judges For SIR Verification Leave WB Voters Confused, Traumatised

Kolkata: The Supreme Court (SC) order, that the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Calcutta High Court can appoint judges — both retired and working — from neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand, to speed up the state's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) verification and settlement process, has left the administration, judiciary and beleaguered public in the state facing a raft of knotty questions that have no clear answers.

Even if the Calcutta CJ goes forward with the SC order, the State Election Office has no clear answer to questions like how many judges from outside the state would be required, how many will consent to come, and when they will have to start work. For the voting public — traumatised by the SIR process that has raised questions about their citizenship, confused about whether the verification and settlement of "logical discrepancies" and unmapped voters' documents will be completed in time for the Assembly polls, and cornered into nativist defensiveness — even judges from outside the state are not above suspicion.

The SC order came after the Calcutta HC submitted a status report to it on Tuesday, stating that even if 250 judges were to be appointed to verify and dispose off 250 SIR cases per head every day, it could take 80 days or more to complete the process.

Confusion, Delay, Deadline... And Fear

As it stands, there is confusion about when these judicial officers can start working. Because, not only do they need to be appointed, but also given two days' of training to carry out the document verification and disposal of cases. Only then can these judges create an ID and password to access the EC's portal.

Before that, though, the Calcutta CJ will have to request the CJs of the neighbouring states, only after which can the High Courts of these states prepare a list of judges and send it. As a result, the CEO's office fears that this process of document verification and settlement is going to take longer.

But, the problem lies elsewhere. Because, when the Calcutta HC submitted its report to the SC, it had mentioned about 50 lakh logical discrepancies and unmapped voters. By the end of Tuesday, though, that number had increased to 60 lakh, and eventually, 80 lakh. According to EC sources, the number may go up further, further complicating the problem. The EC has already informally indicated that it won't be able to give a specific timeline by which the process can be completed.

Meanwhile, the SC, after having declared in a previous order that it won't be possible to publish the final voter list on February 28, on Tuesday ordered that the EC should publish the final voter list on February 28, and include only those names that have been finalised by EROs till February 14, by mapping current voters on to the 2002 list. For those whose names do not appear in the February 28 list, the SC has directed the Central Election Commission to publish additional lists in phases, as and when the cases get verified and settled.

While giving the order, CJI Surya Kant invoked Article 142 — which allows the SC to act beyond statutory limitations to ensure equity and complete justice — saying that these names will be added to the final voter list and they will be allowed to vote, even after the election schedule has been published.

1.2 Crore People May Lose Voting Rights: Mamata Banerjee

The issue was immediately amplified by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while speaking at the inauguration of a sacred 'Manas Stambh' of Jainism in Bhowanipore. Alleging that names of common people were being omitted from the voter list by the SIR in the state, she said a conspiracy is being hatched to illegally and secretively take away the voting rights of about 1.2 crore people.

She presented detailed statistics alleging negligence and fraud in the voter list revision process in the state and claimed that after 58 lakh people were initially removed from the list, a process to exclude several lakh more was being implemented on the pretext of 'logistic discrepancy' or technical inconsistency. She said even if from the initial list of 58 lakh, 20 lakh people were to be accounted for as dead, the rights of a further 1.2 crore valid voters are now being curtailed.

Referring to the legal battle she had fought in the SC, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief noted that despite the court's order, the work of corrections has not yet started, expressing fear that many people will be worried when they do not see their names in the final voter list on February 28.

Also Read:

1. Class 10 Admit Cards Accompanied By Pass Certificates Can Be Used As ID: SC In West Bengal SIR
2. Bengal SIR: SC Permits Deployment Of Judges From Jharkhand And Odisha, Allows EC To Publish 'Final' Electoral Roll On Feb 28
3. Cal HC Chief Justice Holds SIR Meeting Following SC Order, Cancels Judicial Officers’ Leaves
4. 'Extraordinary Circumstances', SC Seeks Appointment Of Judicial Officers For Bengal SIR