Kolkata, Sep 10 (NationPress) The government of West Bengal has allegedly failed to fully comply with the directives issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Election Commission has suggested that if the court seeks details regarding the alleged tampering of the voter list, it should obtain that information directly from the state government. This was revealed in a report presented to the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday.

The report was part of a case initiated by a suspended polling worker who raised concerns over the alleged tampering of the voter list.

According to the lawyer representing the Election Commission, Soumya Majumdar, the ECI had ordered West Bengal to swiftly suspend four officials linked to the tampering allegations and to file First Information Reports (FIR) against them. However, the state has only suspended two of the officers and has not pursued any FIRs. The High Court should therefore request information from the state government regarding this.

The Commission emphasized that once information is provided, it will clarify why their orders went unheeded. They expressed a need to understand the rationale behind the lack of FIRs and whether there is an effort to conceal the identities of the implicated officers. The ECI also stated that the circumstances under which this is occurring would be revealed.

Furthermore, the Election Commission assured the High Court that should any officer be found guilty of tampering in the future, not only will a departmental inquiry take place, but a criminal case will also be initiated in accordance with the law.

The Commission informed the court that preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list are already underway in West Bengal, with a formal notification expected to be issued soon. This revision aims to eliminate the names of ineligible individuals while retaining those of qualified voters.

It's worth noting that the petitioner, Arun Gharai, previously served as an Assistant System Manager in the Kakdwip sub-division of South 24 Parganas district and was involved in the voter list revision process. Following the ECI's orders, the state government filed an FIR against him, which led to his suspension, and he is currently facing a criminal case.

Identifying himself as a 'whistleblower', Arun contended in the High Court that the police are attempting to frame him wrongfully. He has requested protection from arrest, which has been granted by the bench of Justice Amrita Singh until November 11, when the next hearing is scheduled.

On August 25, Arun applied for anticipatory bail, alleging that a significant number of fraudulent birth and death certificates were issued from a gram panchayat in the Kakdwip area. He claimed that names were being added, altered, or transferred in the voter list based on these fraudulent documents.

Arun also called for a CBI investigation into the matter. During earlier hearings, the court had directed the Commission to submit an affidavit detailing the actions taken and to respond to the allegations raised by the complainant. This affidavit was submitted on Wednesday.

This situation arose after the West Bengal government partially complied with the ECI directive last month, resulting in the suspension of four officials—two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) from the Moyna and Baruipur Purba Assembly Constituencies due to alleged voter list malpractices. However, the state government did not file FIRs against these officials, as mandated by the ECI.

This disciplinary action was taken following instructions from the Election Commission.

Serious allegations were made against Debottam Dutta Chowdhury, the ERO of Baruipur East, Tathagata Mandal, the AERO, as well as Biplob Sarkar and Sudipta Das, the respective EROs and AEROs of Maina. A data entry operator, Surjit Halder, was also implicated. They faced accusations of tampering with the voter list, prompting the Election Commission to direct their suspension and the filing of FIRs against them.