Calcutta High Court Asks ECI to Respond to Petition Questioning SIR Based on 2002 Voter List
NEW DELHI, Nov 6: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to state its position by filing an affidavit on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) questioning why the ongoing “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) of electoral rolls was being done on the basis of the 2002 voters’ list.
In the second phase after Bihar, the ECI is currently holding SIR in 12 States including West Bengal where Assembly elections are due before mid-2026.
A Division Bench presided by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul directed the ECI to file the affidavit by November 19, stating its position on the PIL. The matter will come up for hearing again on November 19. The petitioners prayed for a direction to the ECI to hold the SIR on the basis of documents and information as in 2025.
The ECI’s counsel Anamika Pandey submitted before the Bench that the writ petition was not maintainable as the same issue is pending before the Supreme Court. The petitioners also prayed for adequate security for the booth-level officers (BLO) who are conducting the exercise on the ground, claiming that some of them were facing an intimidating atmosphere at work.
(Manas Dasgupta)
