Cases stall as judicial officers busy with SIR in West Bengal

Judicial officers across West Bengal district and metropolitan courts are facing significant disruptions to their work due to the deployment of hundreds of them to process nearly 50 lakh claims and objections under the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The SIR deadline is February 28th, leading to delays in trials and regular proceedings, including those related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Retired IAS officer and former Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar expressed concerns that involving judicial officers in this process was not a well-thought-out solution and may have been more effective if initiated earlier. The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of India to publish the final voter rolls on February 28th, but with supplementary lists being published continuously until the nomination deadline for the upcoming Assembly polls.