The Election Commission of India (ECI) has warned that clearing and uploading of unlisted identity documents as listed documents during the hearing of claims and objections on the draft electoral roll in West Bengal will amount to a ‘serious and willful’ lapse on the part of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs).

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said the micro-observer appointed by the commission to monitor the hearing sessions has already brought to light some cases of ‘serious and deliberate’ mistakes.

According to sources, the official said that in such cases the Commission will first seek written explanation from the concerned ERO and AERO as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them. If no satisfactory response is received, the Commission will take strict disciplinary action against the concerned ERO or AERO, which may include suspension from service and registration of FIR.

The officer explained the nature of the crime by citing a case from Kolkata. “In the case of a particular voter, the concerned ERO mentioned passport as the supporting identity document produced by the voter. However, the photo actually uploaded in the system was of the voter’s Aadhaar card. This was a case of ‘serious and deliberate’ error,” he said.

Accordingly, the Commission has announced changes with effect from February 2 in the responsibilities of the Micro-Observer engaged in the review and hearing of claims and objections on the draft electoral roll in West Bengal, which is currently underway as part of the Special In-depth Revision (SIR).

At present, micro-observers have been deployed at the hearing centers to ensure that the proceedings are conducted as per the guidelines of the Commission. However, from Monday onwards they will be entrusted with the task of monitoring whether the identity documents produced on behalf of the voters during the hearing are uploaded correctly and strictly as per the prescribed list of the commission.

Micro-Observers will ensure that only the documents prescribed by the Commission are uploaded as supporting identity proof. They will serve as the first level of investigation, after which Special Role Observers will conduct further review to identify and filter out cases where unlisted documents may have been uploaded.