Kolkata, 09 February (H.S.):

Ahead of a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the West Bengal government has informed the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it is prepared to make available 8,505 Group ‘B’ officers for the SIR process.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Justice Suryakant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice N.V. Anjaria is scheduled to hear matters related to the SIR on Monday (February 9, 2026). The batch of cases also includes a petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

During an earlier hearing, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had objected to the appointment of micro-observers in the state, claiming that such appointments were made only in West Bengal. Responding to this, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, had informed the court that the state government had not provided an adequate number of Group ‘B’ officers for the SIR process, necessitating the deployment of micro-observers. According to the Commission, at that stage only 80 Group ‘B’ officers, such as Sub-Divisional Magistrates, were made available to supervise the exercise.

As per the draft electoral roll published in December 2025, around 58 lakh voters’ names were removed from the list under categories such as death, permanent change of address, or voters not traceable. In addition, about 1.36 crore voters were identified under the category of “logical discrepancies” and were issued notices by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer for verification hearings.

Taking note of these developments, the Supreme Court had expressed concern and directed the Election Commission to exercise sensitivity while issuing notices, particularly in cases involving minor errors such as spelling differences in names. On January 19, the apex court further directed that verification of voters placed under the “logical discrepancies” category be conducted in a transparent manner, ensuring that voters do not face undue hardship or distress.

The SIR process in West Bengal, which began in November 2025 ahead of the elections, has now entered its final phase. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Saturday (February 7, 2026) requested the Election Commission to grant a one-week extension for completing the exercise. Under the current schedule, the core work of the SIR is to be completed by February 14. If the extension is approved, the final electoral roll may be published by February 21.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh