EC sets 7-day deadline to complete SIR hearings in West Bengal
According to the directives, the pending notices for hearings should be generated by January 31, served by February 1, and all hearings completed within 7 days.
The Election Commission has directed that all hearings related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal be completed within seven days, a senior official said.
The directives were issued during a video conference meeting of the full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar with the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
Following the meeting, CEO Agarwal directed all District Electoral Officers (DEOs) in the state to complete all SIR hearings by February 7, with the final electoral roll publication on February 14.
According to the directives, the pending notices for hearings should be generated by January 31, served by February 1, and all hearings completed within 7 days.
Documentation of hearings already conducted must be uploaded by February 2, it mentioned.
“In the video conference with the ECI held today morning the following instructions were issued for compliance by DEOs/EROs/AEROs. All pending notices are to be generated by 5 pm on January 31. Notices yet to be served should be served positively by 5 pm of February 1 and the proof of service should be uploaded by BLOs,” the order stated.
“All hearings including uploading of documents should be completed preferably within the next seven days positively. For hearings completed earlier, the attendance should be uploaded and documents collected from them uploaded within February 2 positively,” the order further said.
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State Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta, along with all District Election Officers (DEOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), were present at the meeting.
The direction also mentioned, “Over the next 2 to 3 days the Micro Observers (MO) in districts shall be withdrawn from hearing centers and deployed to assist Roll Observers in the respective districts. DEOs to ensure that AEROs/EROs dispose off all the cases as per norms without any deviation whatsoever.”
The CEO further instructed all DEOs, “Digital trail of all documents uploaded in the system, inputs made by MOs and ROs and disposals by EROs/AEROs would be liable for “super checking” by DEOs/Roll Observers/Special Roll Observers/CEO. Instructions of the Commission should be communicated to the EROs/AEROs for compliance.”
State Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta, along with all District Election Officers (DEOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), were present at the meeting.
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Following a Supreme Court order, additional hearing centers were set up in panchayat bhawans and government premises across districts, ECI sources said.
A senior EC official said, “Earlier we were not sure whether the hearing process will be completed within February 7 or not. However, after decentralising the centres, hearing is now completing quickly and we are hoping the hearing can be completed within February 7.”
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
