Supreme Court Orders Judges for WB Electoral Roll Revision

In Kolkata, the Supreme Court has directed the deployment of serving and former district judges to oversee the final stages of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal, amid delays in processing claims and objections. The order, issued on February 20, requires the Calcutta High Court to facilitate the involvement of these judicial officers, with adjudication of disputed cases set to begin on Monday.

The revision process, part of a nationwide effort in 12 states and union territories ahead of upcoming elections, has encountered challenges in West Bengal, where draft electoral rolls published on December 16 removed more than 5.8 million voters marked as deceased, shifted or absent. Citizens affected by these deletions can file claims and objections, which must be resolved through a quasi-judicial process. However, the Supreme Court noted that the procedure had stalled, with many claims awaiting verification, particularly those involving logical discrepancies such as mismatches in family details, unusual age gaps between parents and children, or inconsistencies in progeny records.

To address this, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant instructed Calcutta...