SC's no to WB’s objection to training madule for judicial officers

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain the West Bengal government's objection over the training module issued by the Election Commission for judicial officers deployed in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the judicial officers would not be "influenced by anything" and the orders passed by the apex court in the matter were as clear as daylight. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for West Bengal, mentioned the matter before the bench.
"Please do not make small excuses to stall the process. This has to end… Let the judicial officers work… They will work independently. The judicial officers must be trusted,” a Bench told Sibal. The top court’s comments came after Sibal mentioned the matter for urgent hearing. "Something strange has happened, directions/modalities to the judicial officers have been issued by the Election Commission behind your back after the order of this court. Judicial officers have been given a training module on what to refer and what not to refer. This court stated the Chief Justice of the High Court will decide modalities," Sibal submitted. However, the Bench disagreed with Sibal. It was not out of place for the poll panel to coordinate with the judicial officers who were not familiar with the SIR work assigned to them, it said. "We gave an alien responsibility to the judicial officers," the CJI Kant noted.
"But they (judicial officers) cannot take instructions from the EC that follow this and take this certificate and not," Sibal insisted. As Sibal alleged that the EC was not accepting identity proofs permitted by the top court, the top court said all such concerns would be addressed by it. The Bench pointed out that it engaged almost all judicial officers in West Bengal for smooth conduct of SIR.