Election Commission briefs judicial officers before SIR verification starts
Kolkata: Senior officials of the Election Commission on Sunday held meetings with district judges across West Bengal and conducted training sessions for judicial officers on work related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The exercise assumes significance as the Calcutta High Court has directed that the verification process will begin from Monday.
In compliance with directions of the Supreme Court of India, the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court has ordered the constitution of three-member committees in every district to scrutinise and oversee verification and disposal of documents linked to the SIR.
These district-level panels, comprising judicial officers, will monitor the process to ensure transparency, accuracy and time-bound completion.
Commission officials briefed judicial officers on procedural guidelines, documentation standards, reporting formats and grievance redressal mechanisms associated with the SIR exercise.
In North Kolkata, Election Commission representatives met judges from various courts and conducted a structured orientation programme.
The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, along with the Registrar General, also held a virtual meeting with district judges to streamline coordination and clarify operational responsibilities.
For North Kolkata, a list of 13 judicial officers has reportedly been finalised to supervise the process. Their training session was held at the office of the Tea Board of India in Kolkata.
The meeting was attended by judicial officers, representatives from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office and officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) through virtual mode. Judges from City Sessions Courts, CBI Courts and Special Courts were among those present.
With the Supreme Court having set February 28 as the deadline for publication of the final electoral roll, district-level judicial oversight is being viewed as a key step to ensure procedural transparency and legal compliance.
