US EditionSIR in India: Supreme Court orders states to ease workload of BLOs, reduce duty hours
- On Thursday the Supreme Court Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ordered States and Union Territories to consider deputing additional employees to reduce booth-level officers' working hours during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
- Senior counsel argued that 35 to 40 booth-level officers have died by suicide due to extreme pressure, while many teachers and Anganwadi workers perform SIR duties after their regular jobs.
- The CJI said a regional officer must be appointed to reduce BLO work, states should consider exemptions case-by-case, and not withdraw employees without substitutes.
- The bench disposed of the plea but allowed aggrieved individuals to approach the Supreme Court later and confirmed State governments must replace employees unable to perform SIR duties.
- The SIR covers 12 states and Union Territories, nearly 51 crore electors, and the Election Commission extended the timetable on November 30 with forms due by December 11 and final rolls on February 14.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Indian Express
SC asks states to provide more staff to EC for SIR duty to ease pressure on BLOs
Taking note of a plea alleging extreme work pressure faced by the booth level officers (BLOs) engaged in the time-bound special revision of the electoral rolls, the Supreme Court directed the states on Thursday to consider deputing additional employees for reducing their working hours.
'Where 10,000 staff deployed...': Supreme Court expresses concern over BLO deaths amid SIR, issues directions to states
The BLO-workload issue has also become a political row, with opposition parties like the Congress, Bengal's ruling Trinamool, and Tamil Nadu's TVK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam speaking up.
Supreme Court expresses concern over deaths of BLOs involved in SIR, issues directions to states
The top court noted that if any employee has a specific reason to seek exemption from duty, the concerned authority should consider such requests on a case-to-case basis. The Supreme Court said that states can increase manpower to ease pressure on BLOs.
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