The Supreme Court expressed significant concern on Tuesday regarding reports of threats against Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and obstructions faced during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal and other states.
“Bring to our notice any instances of non-cooperation or threats to BLOs. We will pass appropriate orders,” the bench stated, as reported by PTI.
This statement came during the hearing of a petition filed by the Sanatani Sangsad, which requested adequate deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to ensure the smooth execution of SIR in West Bengal.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) assured the court that it holds full constitutional authority to act against threats targeting BLOs and officials involved in the revision exercise. “If the situation worsens, we will have no option but to place the police under deputation,” the ECI informed the bench, acknowledging that the SIR process was being hampered in specific regions.
The court warned the election body about the potential repercussions, stating, “Deal with the situation, or it will lead to anarchy.”
The atmosphere in West Bengal has been notably tense, with reports of multiple suspected suicides among BLOs during the SIR of electoral rolls. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sharply criticized the situation, asserting that the implementation of SIR has reached a “deeply alarming stage.” In a strongly worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner last month, she described the process as “unplanned, chaotic and dangerous,” arguing that compressing what is typically a three-year process into three months is “inhuman.”
The SIR drive, initiated by the ECI in Bihar and later expanded to 12 states and Union Territories, involves door-to-door verification of voter lists. However, it has faced increasing criticism across various states. Reports of work-related stress and fatalities have also surfaced in Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.
Opposition parties have accused the ECI of hastily proceeding without sufficient safeguards and have raised concerns about the lack of transparency, especially in states preparing for elections in 2026, including West Bengal.
In a related development on Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to extend the deadline for the submission of enumeration forms in the SIR of electoral rolls in Kerala. Additionally, the court issued a notice to the ECI in response to a writ petition challenging the decision to conduct only a “Special Revision” of the electoral roll in Assam, instead of a “Special Intensive Revision” ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Tags: SC expresses concern over threats to BLO’s in WB, obstruction in SIR Process Extract 5 SEO-friendly keywords as tags. Output only keywords, comma separated.
Hashtags: #expresses #concern #threats #BLOs #obstruction #SIR #Process
