Supreme Court Asserts Independence of Judicial Officers Amid West Bengal Election Controversy
Judicial Integrity Under Scrutiny
New Delhi: On Friday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed its confidence in the integrity of its judicial officers, stating they would remain unaffected by external pressures. This declaration came after the West Bengal government raised concerns regarding a training module issued by the Election Commission for judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
During the proceedings, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing West Bengal, brought this issue to the attention of a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
Sibal expressed his concerns, stating, "Something unusual has occurred. While your lordships directed that all procedures would be determined by the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court and the committee, it appears that directives have been issued to the judicial officers without proper consultation, outlining what they should accept and reject."
In response, the Chief Justice emphasized that the judicial officers assigned to this task would make their own decisions.
"We cannot proceed in this manner. There must be a conclusion to this matter. We trust our judicial officers, and they will not be swayed by any external influences," the Chief Justice remarked, clarifying that the court had already specified which documents should be reviewed.
Justice Bagchi added, "Our directives are as clear as day."
The bench further stated that neither the Election Commission nor the state government would exceed the Supreme Court's orders regarding this issue.
Expressing concern over the ongoing conflict between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission, the Supreme Court had previously issued an "extraordinary" directive on February 20, calling for the deployment of current and former district judges to assist the Election Commission in the contentious SIR process.
On February 24, the court permitted the deployment of West Bengal civil judges, in addition to 250 district judges, and the requisitioning of judicial officers from Jharkhand and Odisha to manage the 8 million claims and objections from individuals facing removal from the electoral roll during the ongoing SIR exercise.