ECI extends SIR in poll-bound Bengal by 2 weeks; final rolls on Feb 28

NEW DELHI: The predetermination committee connected Tuesday extended the peculiar intensive revision (SIR) deadline successful poll-bound West Bengal by 2 weeks. The rotation revision successful the TMC-ruled authorities volition spell connected till February 21, and rolls volition beryllium published connected February 28.In a missive to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the Election Commission said the determination was taken successful compliance with the Supreme Court’s February 9 order.Earlier, the last voters’ database was scheduled to beryllium published connected February 14, with elections to travel aft completion of the exercise."...in compliance of the Hon'ble Supreme Court's direction, the Commission has decided to revise the programme of ongoing SIR successful the State of West Bengal arsenic follows," the missive said, according to quality bureau PTI.Under the revised schedule, hearings connected notices volition reason by February 14. Scrutiny of documents and disposal of cases volition beryllium completed by February 21.Rationalisation of polling stations is acceptable to beryllium finished by February 25, portion wellness parameter checks volition reason by February 27. The last electoral rotation volition present beryllium published connected February 28, according to the missive shared by the CEO.Supreme Court said Monday it would nether nary circumstances let stalling of peculiar intensive revision (SIR) of elector rolls successful 12 states, but said it was unfastened to suggestions to guarantee genuine voters are not near out.

The CJI-led seat extended by a week the February 7 deadline for submission of documents by voters issued announcement by EC, including 1.36 crore voters categorised nether "logical discrepancy". It besides sought a idiosyncratic affidavit from the Bengal DGP connected EC’s complaint of TMC functionaries making attempts to derail SIR. “We anticipation the authorities remembers the laws of the land,” it said.The seat of CJI Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria, which had heard West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee passionately reason for discontinuing SIR, frowned upon the authorities govt for not providing the names of 8,500 radical B cadre officials to EC for assisting electoral revision officers (EROs) and adjunct EROs successful the monolithic papers verification work. The displeasure had a melodramatic effect arsenic the West Bengal authorities provided the database wrong minutes to EC successful the tribunal and said it would verify the suitability of the officials.The tribunal besides dismissed the fearfulness expressed by Banerjee’s counsel Shyam Divan who told the seat that the process adopted by EC would pb to wide exclusion of voters fixed the information that 50 per cent of the cases of voters facing “logical discrepancy” scrutiny are misspelling of names, which happened owed to translation errors.“This is simply a speculative apprehension,” the seat said, and allayed it by saying suitable officials, inducted by EC from among the 8,500 officers provided by the authorities government, would assistance the EROs and AEROs astir the cases wherever notices person been issued simply due to the fact that of spelling errors successful names and facilitate their inclusion successful elector lists.