Kolkata, February 23 Judicial officers appointed to adjudicate voter identification documents flagged under the "logical discrepancy" category by the Election Commission of India (ECI) will submit daily progress reports to the Calcutta High Court on the status of the adjudication process.
The adjudication process, being conducted by judicial officers appointed by the Calcutta High Court in compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court last week, commenced on Monday.
Despite initial technical issues, the process began smoothly on Monday morning and continued throughout the day, officials from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said.
According to directions issued by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, the judicial officers are required to submit daily reports detailing the number of cases examined, decisions taken, and overall progress of the adjudication process.
According to the current schedule, the final electoral roll in West Bengal is slated to be published on February 28, excluding cases that have been referred for judicial adjudication.
Supplementary electoral rolls will be published after the adjudication process is completed, incorporating eligible voters cleared through judicial verification.
Officials indicated that a key concern remains whether adjudication of a large number of voters' documents – estimated at around 50 lakh cases referred under the "logical discrepancy" category – can be completed before the February 28 deadline.
Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal Manoj Kumar Agarwal told mediapersons late on Monday that efforts are underway to complete the adjudication process within the stipulated timeframe.
He said the initial technical issues encountered at the start of the process were resolved quickly, allowing the adjudication to proceed without major disruption.
Following the Supreme Court's directive last week mandating judicial oversight in adjudicating voters' identification documents flagged for discrepancies, the Calcutta High Court has been actively monitoring the process.
Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam has held multiple review meetings with senior officials, including the Chief Electoral Officer, Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, and representatives of the Election Commission and the state administration.
A review meeting was also held on Monday, during which judicial officers were briefed on procedures for document verification, decision-making protocols, acceptance or rejection of applications, recording reasons for rejection, and submission of daily progress reports to the High Court.