Bengal SIR row: Will rectify errors of ‘logical discrepancy,’ says SC

Election Commission and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee locked horns implicit the legality of engaging micro-observers by the canvass sheet for SIR work, the contented of spelling errors successful names starring to categorisation of voters nether ‘logical discrepancy’ and issuance of notices to them, and the “hurried manner” of scrutiny of voters’ identity.Mamata alleged EC was illegally employing micro-observers, who are officers from BJP-governed states oregon Union govt officials, arsenic electoral officers, who are indiscriminately deleting names from rolls.EC counsel Rakesh Dwivedi said micro-observers are engaged pursuing owed process. They had to beryllium engaged arsenic the WB govt, contempt respective written requests from EC, has not provided capable fig of Class-II officers of SDM fertile to transportation retired the scrutiny work, which involves adjudication.EC said fixed the information that 1.5 crore notices were issued aft uncovering that scrutiny is needed for implicit 2.1 crore voters, including the 58 lakh absent, shifted and dead, “the electoral rotation of 2025 with specified questionable sanctity can’t beryllium utilized to behaviour upcoming assembly polls (in Bengal) arsenic this would enactment the full canvass and the legitimacy of the elected govt nether a unreality of doubt.”The seat said nary 1 tin quality that dormant persons and amerciable migrants indispensable beryllium removed from voters’ database but astatine the aforesaid clip nary citizen, who is simply a Bengal resident, should beryllium removed from the list, it said.

Mamata and advocator Shyam Divan, appearing for the authorities govt, said of the 1.36 lakh ‘logical discrepancy’ class voters, EC has heard lone 88 lakh radical till date, and claimed that to implicit the proceeding for 63 lakh more, EC volition request clip beyond the Feb 7 deadline. The seat said it volition widen the deadline, if needed.