Subhechcha Ganguly 
The Supreme Court on Monday granted a one-week extension for completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, pushing the deadline beyond February 14. In its interim order, the court directed the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to use the additional time to complete scrutiny and take a final decision on the voter verification exercise.
The order was passed while hearing a plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the SIR process in the state. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and NV Anjaria, also issued directions to address manpower concerns raised by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The court asked the West Bengal government to ensure that 8,555 Group B officers—whose list was submitted to the court—report to their respective district electoral officers by 5 pm. The direction came after the ECI informed the court that it was facing a shortage of personnel due to inadequate support from the state administration.
Further, the apex court ruled that the ECI would have the discretion to replace the ERO and Assistant ERO (AERO), or continue with the existing officers if they are found suitable. It also allowed state government officials to be deployed as micro observers after a brief training of one to two days, subject to scrutiny of their biodata.
Clarifying their role, the court stated that micro observers would only assist the EROs, with the final decision-making authority remaining solely with the ERO. The bench noted that the induction of additional officials and the scrutiny of documents submitted by affected individuals could require more time, justifying the deadline extension.
