The Supreme Court of India on Thursday directed state governments to ease the pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, following reports of deaths and FIRs filed against ground-level staff.
A bench led by Surya Kant (Chief Justice), along with Joymalya Bagchi, noted that government-deputed employees and those from State Election Commissions, ‘obligated to perform such duties’.
Yet, the judges emphasised that states must step in when BLOs run into difficulties or complain of excessive workload.
The court urged states to deploy more personnel to the Election Commission of India (ECI), so existing BLOs can work fewer hours.
“Wherever any employee has any specific reason for seeking exemption, the competent authority shall consider such requests on a case-to-case basis and replace such person with another employee. However, the court made it clear that states cannot pull employees off duty unless they provide substitutes,” it instructed.
The order came while hearing a plea filed by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by a Tamil Nadu political figure, which highlighted 35–40 deaths of BLOs nationally, allegedly linked to extreme stress and overwork during the SIR exercise.
The petition claimed that many states compel teachers and Anganwadi workers to take on SIR duties alongside their regular jobs, often under coercive conditions.
Claims of Suicides and Criminal Charges
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, told the court, “FIRs under Section 32 have been filed in Uttar Pradesh. Anganwadi workers and teachers are being sent for SIR work before and after their regular duties. One young man was denied leave even for his own wedding, and he committed suicide. This is not how the system should function.”
The petition describes a pattern of suicides, heart attacks and other health emergencies among staff in states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, attributing them to ‘unreasonable workloads, intimidation, and threat of criminal action’.
Other senior counsel, including Kapil Sibal, questioned the rush behind SIR deadlines, particularly in large states such as Uttar Pradesh, where enumeration windows for assembly-election-bound areas are extremely tight.
“Why this hurry?” Sibal asked, drawing attention to the sparse timeframe given to complete massive voter-listing exercises.
Representing the ECI, senior advocate Maninder Singh rejected the petition as ‘without merit’, alleging that in some instances BLOs themselves were unwilling to perform assigned duties, forcing the poll body’s hand in initiating criminal proceedings.
In response, the court acknowledged that while the ECI oversees the SIR project, state governments share responsibility: “The state cannot shirk its obligation.”
“If any employee is facing genuine difficulty — illness, pregnancy, or any such reason — the state government can replace them,” it noted.
The court will separately review compensation claims (ex gratia) for BLO deaths once claimants file them.
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