New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed states to examine the possibility of assigning additional personnel to assist booth-level officers during the ongoing special revision of electoral rolls, after a plea alleged that excessive workload had led to severe strain and even suicides among officials.
The case stemmed from an application filed by Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), the party founded by actor Vijay, which sought protection for booth level officers from coercive action under the Representation of the People Act for failing to meet time-bound targets set by the Election Commission. The plea argued that many BLOs, who are largely teachers and anganwadi workers, were unable to manage both their regular duties and the intensive revision work, leading to extreme stress.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi considered the submissions of senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for TVK, who said several officials had died under pressure exerted by poll authorities. He told the court that FIRs were being filed against BLOs who could not complete tasks on schedule. “Criminal action is harsh, it should not be initiated,” he said, adding that the officers were struggling with limited time, inadequate digital infrastructure and obligations to their primary jobs.
The bench said state governments should take steps to alleviate the burden. “In case they are facing hardships, including being overburdened with their routine duties as well as the additional duties assigned by the Election Commission, the state government can obviate such hardships,” it noted. The order said states may consider the “desirability of deputing additional staff at the disposal of the EC, so that the working hours can be proportionately reduced”.
The court added that employees with a “specific reason” for seeking exemption from Special Intensive Revision duties could be considered for relief on a case-to-case basis, provided a suitable replacement was assigned. It clarified that states cannot withdraw employees already allocated to the Election Commission without offering substitutes.
The bench also stressed that states where the Special Intensive Revision is underway “shall be obligated to deploy the requisite workforce” needed for the exercise. Other parts of the petition, including a request for ex-gratia compensation to families of BLOs who died during duties, were disposed of with liberty to revive these issues later.
During the hearing, Sankaranarayanan highlighted a case involving a young officer who had been denied wedding leave and subsequently suspended, after which he died by suicide. BLOs in several regions were being forced to work early mornings or late nights around their regular hours, he said. He also pointed to FIRs under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, which prescribes imprisonment or fines for dereliction of duty relating to electoral rolls.
Chief Justice Kant observed that Election Commission practices were not new. “It is not the first time. Earlier also they have been registering it,” he said, while reiterating that state governments must address difficulties experienced by their employees. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, also present in the matter, described the pressure on BLOs as a “harsh reality”.
Representing the Election Commission, senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi and Maninder Singh said more than 90 per cent of enumeration forms had already been distributed in Tamil Nadu. Dwivedi said the Commission resorted to criminal proceedings only when officers displayed reluctance to perform duties, adding that political narratives were being constructed around the issue.
The court noted that no state had approached it so far with complaints about the workload, although the Chief Justice cited Uttar Pradesh as an example where elections are due in 2027 but officers were still required to complete revision work within strict timelines.
The Election Commission had extended the entire schedule for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision by a week on November 30, following objections from opposition parties that the deadlines were too tight for both citizens and ground-level staff. The SIR, announced on October 27, covers nearly 51 crore electors across nine states and three Union territories, including Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal are scheduled to hold assembly polls in 2026. Assam, also due for elections in 2026, is conducting its revision process separately.