Super-check flags anomalies, 27L documents sent back for scrutiny

Kolkata: The ‘super-checks' of SIR applications by micro-observers have thrown up anomalies in 27 lakh voters. Their documents have been sent to EROs/AEROs for reverification, a senior EC official said on Wednesday. All these cases were flagged by the micro-observers as "to be reviewed" after identifying discrepancies.For example, the micro-observers, during a super-check, found that Sheikh Rajesh Ali, a voter in the Panskura West assembly, was shown as the son of Bhubanchindra Bera. Even as no proof of linkage was uploaded, the AERO mentioned it as an ‘OK' case. The observers questioned on what basis the AERO allowed such a link.
In another incident, one Hafizur Rahaman Halder, an elector from Mograhat, submitted a birth certificate that shows the 36-year-old was born on Oct 30, 1990, while the hand-written registration date of his certificate is Aug 23, 1990. These discrepancies were identified during checking the digital trail of the documents of the electors.Meanwhile, the EC on Wednesday instructed all DEOs to dispose of all pending cases by Feb 21. "The EC sent written instructions to work at a faster pace in disposing of all SIR cases within the stipulated deadline, Feb 21. The instruction was sent to all DEOs as well as to the CEO's office, after noticing that a large number of cases were yet to be disposed of," the official said.On the other hand, it was learnt that the micro-observers flagged several cases, many of them even disposed of by the EROs/AEROs as "to be reviewed". "During the checking exercise, the micro-observers found discrepancies in about 27 lakh cases. Even the EROs/AEROs concerned disposed of several cases as ‘OK'. Now, all cases will be reviewed again by the EROs/AEROs and finally disposed of," the official said. According to sources, on average, the number of such cases was 8,000-9,000 in an assembly constituency.Meanwhile, the EC has showcaused four micro-observers for dereliction of duties.