The ongoing judicial adjudication of voters’ documents categorized as ‘logical discrepancy’ under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal is anticipated to require at least another month to complete, as per estimates from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal. Over 60 lakh cases of ‘logical discrepancy’ were referred for judicial adjudication, with 7.50 lakh cases already processed by Friday night. An additional 1,00,000 cases are expected to be completed by Saturday night, indicating a potential timeline extension of around one month for the entire adjudication process.
The pace of judicial adjudication is projected to escalate with the inclusion of 200 more judicial officers from neighboring Jharkhand and Odisha starting Monday, raising the total number of officers involved in the process to 732. The CEO’s office insider mentioned that the current estimate of one more month for completion is conservative, as the pace is likely to quicken further with the additional officers’ participation.
A critical question arises regarding whether the Election Commission of India (ECI) will unveil the polling dates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal post the judicial adjudication process’s conclusion or before its completion. Clarity on this issue may surface following a significant hearing at the Supreme Court on March 10. The ECI’s full bench is set to reach Kolkata on Sunday night for a comprehensive review of the ongoing judicial adjudication and the state’s readiness for the impending Assembly polls later this year.
Most of the 200 judicial officers arriving from Jharkhand and Odisha will be stationed in Kolkata, with some also assigned to major district towns like Bardhaman, Asansol, Kharagpur, and Siliguri.
