NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday raised concerns over reports of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) being threatened and obstructed while carrying out the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal and other states, PTI reported. The apex court asked the Election Commission to take a firm view of the lack of cooperation from state governments and ensure the exercise is carried out without intimidation or interference.During an earlier hearing, the bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant had flagged the heavy workload placed on BLOs, noting claims of severe stress, pressure, and even deaths linked to the SIR drive. The court directed states to immediately deploy additional manpower, reduce working hours, and consider exemption requests on an individual basis where justified. It reiterated that governments are duty-bound to provide adequate staff.
The EC has repeatedly defended SIR as a constitutionally mandated obligation to “clean” the voter lists. It argues that maintaining correct and current electoral rolls is essential to the integrity of the electoral process, and that it retains the exclusive discretion to decide when and how to revise rolls.’This is a developing story. Details to follow…
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