Kolkata: As the process of judicial adjudication of voters’ documents identified under the “logical discrepancy” category in poll-bound West Bengal got underway, the judicial officers appointed in four districts located near the India-Bangladesh border have sought special security after experiencing security breaches.
The process of judicial adjudication started on Monday as directed by the Supreme Court last week.
These four districts are Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas, with all of them having international borders with Bangladesh, and South 24 Parganas having mostly a coastal border.
Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken note of the apprehension of these judicial officers and has directed the state police administration to ensure blanket security for them.
Meanwhile, of the 50 lakh voters’ documents identified under the “logical discrepancy” category that have been referred for judicial adjudication, the maximum are in Murshidabad district. However, the exact figure is yet to be disclosed by the Commission.
The judicial officers appointed for the voters’ documents adjudication process have been briefed to state the reason for “acceptance” or “rejection” of the documents in each case that has been referred to them for adjudication, a CEO’s office insider confirmed.
At the same time, the judicial officers will also submit daily progress reports to the Calcutta High Court on the status of the adjudication process.
According to the current schedule, the final electoral roll in West Bengal is slated to be published on February 28, excluding cases referred for judicial adjudication.
Supplementary electoral rolls will be published after the adjudication process is completed, incorporating eligible voters cleared through judicial verification.
Officials indicated that a key concern remains whether adjudication of a large number of voters’ documents — estimated at around 50 lakh referred under the “logical discrepancy” category — can be completed before the February 28 deadline.
Following the Supreme Court’s directive last week mandating judicial oversight in adjudicating voters’ identity documents flagged for discrepancies, the Calcutta High Court has been actively monitoring the process.
(IANS)
