The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Election Commission of India (ECI) over reports of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) being threatened in West Bengal during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The apex court issued a notice to the ECI on a plea seeking protection for BLOs deployed for SIR work. The apex court directed the Election Commission to place before it details of incidents where officials have been threatened. Expressing concern over alleged non-cooperation by the state government, the bench warned that if steps were not taken immediately, the situation could “lead to anarchy.”

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A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that BLOs were performing crucial field work und

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