East Burdwan, 30 December (H.S.): For the past three to four days, the temperature has been continuously dropping. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature in Kolkata was recorded at 12.6 degrees Celsius, while the cold is even more intense in the western districts. Amidst this biting cold, a deeply poignant scene has emerged. On Monday night, dozens of people were seen sitting on the road wrapped in blankets in front of the Katwa Sub-Divisional Court in East Burdwan district. Leaning against the walls of closed shops, these people are forced to stay awake all night under the open sky, shivering in the cold.

When asked why they were spending the night this way, it was revealed that there are errors in their voter cards. Some have misspelled names, while others have errors in their father's name. To submit the correct documents under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, they need to obtain an affidavit from the court. Men and women alike are sitting in line outside the court from the night before to get this affidavit.

According to local sources, no more than 20 affidavits are being processed at the Katwa court each day. This is why people are forced to sit in line all night, waiting for their turn. Many said that even arriving in the morning doesn't guarantee a number, so they are compelled to sit in line from the night before. Since the commencement of the SIR hearings, the number of people seeking affidavits has increased rapidly. Voters from far-flung areas are reaching Katwa court and spending the entire night in the cold, waiting for their turn.

Many voters have found errors in their names on their voter cards, Aadhaar cards, and other identity documents. Judicial affidavits are required to correct these errors. According to court rules, only a limited number of judicial affidavits are issued daily, which has exacerbated the situation. Many people said that their voter registration hearing is scheduled for the next day or two, and if the affidavit is not prepared on time, their names could be removed from the voter list. This fear is forcing them to stand in line all night in the cold.

Regarding this matter, the secretary of the Katwa Bar Association stated that this problem has been recurring for the past few days. He questioned why only judicial affidavits are being demanded when executive magistrates are available to handle them. Judicial magistrates are already overburdened with work. Despite this, he assured that the Bar Association would try to find a solution to this problem.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey