E-Paper
West Bengal CEO exempts voters living outside from SIR hearing
West Bengal exempts certain voters from in-person hearings for electoral roll revisions, allowing family members to represent them with documents.
The West Bengal chief electoral officer has announced exemption from personal appearance to some voters who were called for hearing under the Special Intensive Revision of Rolls (SIR). Hearing notices were sent to voters whose names were flagged in unmapped or logical discrepancy cases.
According to the directive issued by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, on Thursday, the exemption from personal appearance applies to electors temporarily outside West Bengal for studies, employment, official duty, medical treatment or other reasons, including those abroad, government staff, military, paramilitary and PSU employees, who may be represented by a family member with required documents.
In a memo sent to all District Election Officers, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer said these electors would not be required to attend hearings in person.
“Electors who are away from the state temporarily for the purpose of studies, hospitalization or employment in the private sector are exempted from personally attending SIR hearings,” the memo said. It added that any family member of the elector may attend the hearing on their behalf after producing documents establishing the relationship and submitting any of the documents prescribed by the Election Commission of India.
Officials involved in the revision said the decision to allow family members to represent out-of-state voters was taken to address practical difficulties without altering the verification framework. “The intention is to ensure that voters who are temporarily away are not put at a disadvantage,” an official said.
The memo clarified that the same procedure followed in cases of personal appearance would apply to these hearings as well.
The process came into spotlight after the EC sent a hearing notice to Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen after logical discrepancies were detected in the enumeration form of the eminent economist. Amid a political row over the matter, the EC said that Sen would not be required to visit the hearing centre, and that a hearing would be conducted at his ancestral residence in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.
Students, migrant workers and others living outside the state had raised concerns over the process, saying they were unable to travel back for hearings within the stipulated time. Political parties and civil society groups had also flagged the issue, arguing that mandatory personal appearance could lead to exclusion of eligible voters.
According to EC officials during the revision of electoral roll, a large number of voters were categorised under unmapped cases or logical discrepancy cases. Unmapped cases refer to entries that could not be linked with earlier electoral roll data, while logical discrepancy cases include inconsistencies in age, family relationships or other details. These categories require verification through hearings before any change is made to the voter list.
Thursday’s directive from the state CEO follows earlier relaxations announced by the commission for other categories of voters. Senior citizens above a specified age, persons with disabilities and pregnant women were earlier exempted from attending hearings in person, with verification to be carried out through alternative means.
Under the procedure, the family member attending the hearing must submit proof of relationship along with any one of the documents notified by the ECI, which include identity and residence proofs. The verification officer will examine the documents and record the submission in the same manner as in cases where the elector appears personally.
