"If State Machinery Fails...": Top Court On Threat To Bengal SIR Officers

The Supreme Court has warned the Bengal government over threats to judicial officers involved in the special intensive revision of the voter list before the two-phase election later this month.

Against the backdrop of last week's incident - seven officers were held hostage by voters whose names have been deleted - the court said: "If state machinery fails, we will see what to do..."

In making this strong observation, the court also took dim view of a video in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly threatened Central Reserve Police Force personnel.

The Election Commission had alleged the Chief Minister had urged women and girls to be at polling booths and, if needed, use kitchen equipment to 'deal with necessary situations'.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta also referred to a report in which a woman judicial officer claimed she feared for her life and pleaded for her children to be cared for if she is killed.

Senior advocate DS Naidu, appearing for the EC, said, "The rabble-rousing will only vitiate the atmosphere", to which Chief Justice Surya Kant said 'if state machinery fails, we will see...'

The Trinamool countered with a video of its own, presented by senior advocate and party leader Kalyan Banerjeee. "Please see this speech now. It says Chief Minister will be killed... watch..."

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, was hearing pleas regarding the special intensive revision, or SIR, of the Bengal voter list before poll.

The focus has been on still-pending appeals by lakhs of voters whose names have been deleted - illegally they and the Trinamool Congress claim - from the electoral roll.

As the hearing began, the Chief Justice referred to a letter from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Sujoy Paul. "He has stated..." Chief Justice Surya Kant said, "... as on April 6, 59,15,000 objections have decided by against total pendency of 60,06,000 appeals."

All appeals by excluded voters in Malda district - scene of the hostage situation - have been settled, the Calcutta High Court judge wrote to Chief Justice Surya Kant. "Nothing remains pending despite so many difficulties... such as the gheraoing of officers," he said.

The court issued a slew of directions to streamline functioning of appellate tribunals hearing these appeals, stressing on the need for uniformity of procedure and fast-tracking of cases.

It was pointed out that the court's April 1 order had allotted premises for these tribunals.

Meanwhile, the 88-year-old grandson of Nandanlal Bose, who illustrated the Constitution of India, also approached the court after he too was excluded from the voter list.

The court allowed the grandson to approach an appellate tribunal against the deletion.