The Supreme Court ordered the deployment of central armed forces to protect judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal after a disturbing incident in which seven judges were surrounded and threatened by protestors in Malda district.
Taking serious note of the episode, the Court registered a suo motu case titled In Re: Safety and Security of Judicial Officers Deputed for Work Relating to SIR of Electoral Rolls in the State of West Bengal and Ancillary Issues. The urgent hearing was conducted by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipin Pancholi.
The case stems from an incident from yesterday evening when seven judicial officers, including three women judges, were gheraoed for several hours by individuals protesting the deletion of their names from the voter list during the revision exercise.
Court questions state machinery over security lapse
The Bench expressed strong concern over the safety of judicial officers and criticised the West Bengal government for failing to ensure their protection despite repeated alerts. According to the Court, the protest began around 3.30 pm at the office of the Block Development Officer, where the officers were conducting hearings related to objections in the voter roll revision process.
Despite communication from the Calcutta High Court regarding the situation, the Bench noted that no effective action was taken until late evening. The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court reportedly informed the Supreme Court that neither the district magistrate nor the superintendent of police reached the site during the crisis.
Eventually, the High Court Chief Justice contacted the Director General of Police and the State Home Secretary to intervene and secure the officers’ safety. The judges were finally released only after midnight.
The Supreme Court further recorded that when the officers were escorted out and travelling to their respective locations, their vehicles were targeted with stones and sticks.
Calling the episode a serious challenge to the authority of the judiciary, the Bench observed that the incident appeared to be a calculated attempt to intimidate judicial officers and derail the process of adjudicating objections related to the electoral rolls.
Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked that West Bengal had become “the most polarised State”, adding that everyone in the State seemed to “speak political language”.
Central forces and probe ordered
To ensure the safety of the officers, the Court directed the Election Commission of India to deploy central forces at locations where judicial officers are conducting SIR-related duties. The Commission was also asked to protect the residences of officers who fear threats to their families, with immediate assessment of any security concerns.
The Court further directed the State government and the Election Commission to take all necessary measures to guarantee the safe functioning of the electoral revision exercise. It also imposed restrictions on the number of individuals allowed to gather at offices where objections are filed and hearings take place.
At the same time, the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, district magistrates, and police authorities were asked to ensure strict compliance with the directions.
The Court issued show-cause notices to the State Chief Secretary, the DGP, the concerned district magistrate, and the superintendent of police, asking them to explain why action should not be taken against them for the failure to ensure security. They have been directed to appear before the Court on April 6.
In a significant move, the Bench also instructed the Election Commission to entrust the investigation of the incident to either the Central Bureau of Investigation or the National Investigation Agency, with a preliminary report to be submitted directly to the Supreme Court.
Heated exchanges during the hearing
The hearing saw sharp exchanges between lawyers. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the State could not be trusted with the security of judicial officers and described the incident as an affront to the rule of law.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal called the episode unfortunate, while Meneka Guruswamy pointed out that several senior officials in the State had recently been transferred by the Election Commission.
Justice Bagchi stressed that political leaders must collectively condemn the attack, noting that orders issued by the judicial officers during the revision process must be treated as orders of the Court itself.
Counsel for the Election Commission argued that the officers had effectively been held hostage in an attempt to derail the electoral revision exercise. During the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked that the Court was fully aware of the developments and had monitored the situation until nearly 2 am.
The matter will now be taken up again after the authorities submit their compliance reports and appear before the Court next week.