Centres where judicial officers are adjudicating voters flagged with “logical discrepancies” are racing against time ahead of the Assembly polls.

At one such centre in south Calcutta, a judicial officer heard and disposed of 288 cases on Monday. The centre is tasked with determining the electoral fate of voters from an Assembly seat in South 24-Parganas whose records show inconsistencies.

There are around 16,800 voters under adjudication at this centre. “So far, around 4,000 cases have been disposed of,” an official said. “There is too much work to finish in a short period.”

A judicial officer assigned by the Alipore court is among those handling the cases, assisted by a micro-observer and an assistant electoral registration officer (AERO). More than 500 cases must be decided daily to clear the remaining backlog.

The Election Commission on Sunday announced polling in Bengal in two phases — April 23 and April 29 — but did not clarify the fate of over 60 lakh voters across the state whose voting rights remain under adjudication.

On Monday, Manoj Agarwal, Bengal’s chief electoral officer, said nearly 20 lakh of the 60.06 lakh under-adjudication cases had been disposed of.

Sources said if scrutiny continues at the current pace, more than 20 lakh voters
could remain under adjudication by April 9, the last date of filing nominations.

Under Section 23(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, no changes can be made to the electoral roll of a poll-bound constituency after the last date of nominations.

At another adjudication centre on the southern fringes of Calcutta, designated for a different Assembly seat in South 24-Parganas, a judicial officer from the Baruipur court disposed of more than 400 cases on Monday.

“There were around 30,000 voters with logical discrepancies in this segment. About half have already been adjudicated,” an official involved in the process said.

“The judicial officer arrives around 10.30am. The AERO and micro-observer come 10 to 15 minutes earlier. They work non-stop till evening, with a lunch break,” the official added.

Initially, two judicial officers were assigned to this centre, but sources said one was reassigned to another Assembly seat a few days ago, adding to the workload.

In an Assembly seat on the northern fringes of Calcutta, around 31,000 voters have been flagged with discrepancies. At a centre in a BDO office for this seat, three judicial officers have been assigned to handle the case-load.

“Only around 10,000 cases have been disposed of. What remains is a Herculean task,” one of them said.

The numbers suggest that more than 900 cases must be cleared each day to meet the deadline.

At many centres, judicial officers and election personnel have been working extended hours, including Sundays, but uncertainty persists
over whether that will be
sufficient.

The Supreme Court has ruled that voters flagged with logical discrepancies can cast their ballots only after their names are cleared through this adjudication process. They cannot register afresh as their names have not been deleted from the electoral rolls, yet they are barred from voting until their names are cleared.

No other state or Union territory has faced a similar situation so far.