SC asks States, UTs to provide more staff to EC for SIR duty to ease pressure of BLOs

The Supreme Court, taking note of a plea alleging extreme work pressure faced by booth-level officers (BLOs) engaged in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, ordered the States and Union Territories to consider deputing additional employees for reducing their workload.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing an application by actor Vijay’s party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), seeking a direction to the poll panel not to take coercive actions under the Representation of the People Act against the BLOs for not performing the duty in a time-bound manner.

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Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the TVK, argued that Anganwadi workers and teachers are forced to do BLO work after finishing their usual jobs. They work and receive messages about targets late into the night. Due to this high-pressure work, Mr. Sankaranarayanan argued that they should not be subject to criminal action if they didn’t meet the targets.

He also brought up the various cases of deaths and suicides of BLOs across India, attributing it to the extreme pressure exerted by the Election Commission (EC) officials. “It is not individual circumstances leading to pressure, but the stress of the BLO work and threat of prosecution,” he clarified.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal added to the argument, stating that BLOs facing work pressure are afraid to appeal to authorities because they are threatened with prosecution.

CJI Surya Kant, in response, said that the States will be impleaded by the court in this case, since the personnel for the BLOs are deployed by the State. Thus, it is the State’s responsibility to replace those unable to do the work.

The CJI issued an order to the State governments that a regional officer must be appointed to ensure the work of BLOs is proportionately reduced. “If any employee, for specific reasons, is to be exempted from BLO work, the government concerned may consider the request of the employee on a case-by-case basis and replace the person with another employee,” the top court ordered.

It reiterated that it is the State’s obligation, when the SIR is underway, to supply the required workforce at the disposal of EC. However, the State government can consider deploying additional staff to ease BLOs work pressure.