Be prepared for supplementary list after Feb 28 final SIR roll

Kolkata: The EC will publish the final electoral list on Feb 28, excluding controversial cases where differences of opinion emerged between EROs and micro observers, a senior commission official said on Friday. Judicial officers, as directed by the Supreme Court, will decide on controversial cases and, subsequently, a supplementary list will be published, officials added.

According to sources, after the SC order, CEC Gyanesh Kumar called Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal on Friday evening. Agarwal informed him that the final list will be published on Feb 28.


Although the official refused to divulge the exact number of controversial cases, the number may exceed 30 lakh, as micro observers found discrepancies and sent them back to EROs/AEROs for review.

"The final electoral roll will be published on Feb 28. During the preparation of the final roll, controversial cases will not be considered. The judicial officers will decide on those cases, and a supplementary list will be published after their disposal," the official said, adding that a clearer picture will emerge after getting a copy of the SC order.

The apex court on Friday directed appointment of judicial officers for the adjudication of claims and objections in the SIR exercise in Bengal. The SC also ordered holding a meeting on Saturday and left the mechanism to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.

Asked how many judicial officers were needed to decide on the controversial cases, the EC official said, "How do I know? The Supreme Court passed an order by using its constitutional power. The entire matter is now being left to the court. In tomorrow's meeting with the Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice, we will request for a judicial officer in every booth to expedite the process."

During the checking exercise, micro observers found anomalies in about 30 lakh cases under the category of logical discrepancies. Even the concerned EROs/AEROs disposed of several cases mentioned as ‘OK'. Those cases were sent back to EROs/AEROs for review and final disposal.

"There is no problem in unmapped cases, which are around 32 lakh. Differences of opinion emerged in about 30 lakh out of 1.2 crore cases under the logical discrepancy category. Why and under whose direction the EROs/AEROs mentioned those cases as ‘OK' while the proper document was not uploaded or no proof of linkage was there, among other anomalies," a source said, adding that observers also sent back several cases to EROs for review, which were rejected.

Meanwhile, Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal on Friday chaired a virtual meeting with all DEOs on the progress of scrutiny of documents and disposal of cases by EROs/AEROs. "DEOs informed the CEO that the process will be over by Saturday, and they will need another 4-5 days for scrutiny. Then the CEO will check the health of the roll before sending it to the EC, which will take a couple of days for final publication," a source said.