New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued an extraordinary order on the ongoing dispute over the revision of voter lists in West Bengal. Expressing displeasure over the 'blame game' going on between the Election Commission and the Trinamool Congress government, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered that retired and sitting district judges be deputed to scrutinize the voter lists.
The court has asked the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to immediately provide judicial officers so that complaints of 'logical discrepancies' (such as differences in age and parents' names) in the voter lists can be resolved.
The court has taken strict notice of the West Bengal government's failure to provide the required 'Grade-A' officers for this work. The bench clarified that the decisions of the judicial officers to be deployed will be considered as court orders and the DC and SP of the state will be bound to provide them with necessary security and equipment. The Supreme Court has allowed the Election Commission to publish the draft list of voters by February 28. Along with this, it has also directed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to hold an emergency meeting with the state Chief Secretary, DGP and Election Commission officials by Saturday.