'We will not allow any impediment in SIR': Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday  made it clear that it would not permit any obstruction in the SIR process. During the hearing on the West Bengal Special Investigation Report (SIR), the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant stated that orders would be issued wherever improvements were required, but emphasized that no hurdles would be allowed. “All states should understand this,” the CJI remarked.  The top court also extended the deadline for SIR in West Bengal by one more week, from February 14. The observation came as the court heard the Election Commission's (EC) response to a petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the SIR exercise in the state. The case is being heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi.
The apex court issued a notice to the DGP of West Bengal during the hearing on the Special Investigation Report (SIR). The Supreme Court also directed the West Bengal DGP to file a personal affidavit. The Supreme Court issued a show-cause notice to the West Bengal DGP, seeking a response to complaints of intimidation and violence against officials engaged in SIR duties on behalf of the Election Commission. The CJI also observed that had the list of officers been submitted by February 5, the Election Commission of India (ECI) would have already taken a decision. The CJI noted that micro observers were part of a support system to assist EROs and Assistant EROs, with the final decision resting with the EROs. He added that the court would examine the outcome of the verification exercise.
A central point of contention in the case has been the deployment of micro-observers in West Bengal. The Election Commission told the court that it had written five letters to the West Bengal government specifying the officers it required. "They have not given," the poll body said, explaining why micro-observers were deployed. According to the poll body, particulars and details of officers sought were not shared by the state government. The Election Commission maintained that its actions were necessitated by the lack of response and that the deployment of micro-observers was within its constitutional authority to ensure the integrity of the revision process.