Supreme Court calls the Malda incident a “calculated attempt” to obstruct the electoral roll revision exercise.
ECI asked to deploy central forces to protect judicial officers and offices involved in the SIR.
Court signals possibility of a CBI or independent investigation.
SC Pulls Up West Bengal Govt After 7 Judicial Officers Held Hostage In Malda
The Hindu reported that the Supreme Court termed the gherao in Malda a “calculated attempt” to derail West Bengal’s electoral roll revision exercise and issued notices to senior state officials.
Summary
The Supreme Court on Thursday strongly criticised the West Bengal government after seven judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were allegedly held hostage by a mob for over nine hours in Malda district, calling the incident a “calculated attempt” to derail the exercise on time.
According to a report by The Hindu, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant described the state administration’s inaction as “highly deplorable” and took suo motu cognisance of the incident.
The officers, including three women, were gheraoed in Kaliachak from Wednesday afternoon and were rescued only around 1 a.m. after police and paramilitary forces intervened.
The court issued show-cause notices to senior police and administrative officials, asking why action should not be initiated against those responsible. It also directed the Election Commission of India to requisition central forces to ensure the safety of judicial officers involved in the SIR process and the government offices where the exercise is being conducted.
The court further said the families of the officers must be provided protection.
The protest was reportedly led by a group of voters whose names had been deleted from the electoral rolls.
The Bench also indicated that it was inclined to order a CBI or independent investigation into the incident, with a detailed order expected later in the day.
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