EC, SC and a long shadow in West Bengal
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500+ questions on Polity with explanations
📌 Summary:
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Context: West Bengal election concluded; results due May 4; editorial examines voter disenfranchisement caused by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls
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Core Argument: Both the Election Commission (EC) and Supreme Court (SC) failed voters — the EC through an opaque and exclusionary SIR process, the SC through delayed and insufficient judicial oversight
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Scale of Deletions: 89 lakh names deleted from electoral rolls during SIR; 58 lakh deleted in first round; 60 lakh placed "under adjudication"; ~5 lakh more deleted mid-process
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Causal Chain: SIR demands difficult-to-access documents → sets inordinately tight timelines → shifts burden of proof onto vulnerable voters → functions as de facto citizenship test → disenfranchises minorities and poor voters
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Communal Dimension: Of 60 lakh "under adjudication", 27 lakh deleted from Muslim-dominated constituencies — raising allegations of targeted disenfranchisement
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SC's Role: SC allowed 19 appellate tribunals for reinstatement; but tribunals set up late with no deadline; restored only 139 names before first round voting, 1,468 before second round; functioning remained opaque
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Bihar Precedent: SIR in Bihar raised similar concerns; SC had then directed EC to accept Aadhaar and give reasons for deletions — but these lessons were NOT applied in West Bengal
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EC Overreach: 8,000 micro-observers deployed, overseeing and disempowering Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)
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Solutions Implied: EC must learn from Bihar precedent; SIR process must be transparent, time-bound, and not shift burden onto voters; SC must act more swiftly when fundamental rights are at stake
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