SC flags 'trust deficit', orders deployment of judicial officers in Bengal's SIR exercise
New Delhi (PTI): Dismayed over ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission, the Supreme Court on Friday issued an "extraordinary" direction to deploy serving and former district judges to assist the poll panel in the controversy-ridden special intensive revision of electoral rolls in the state.
Ruing the "unfortunate blame game" and the "trust deficit" between the EC and the "democratically elected" TMC government, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed a slew of fresh directions to ensure completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) process.
The bench ordered deputation of judicial officers for adjudication of claims and objections of the persons, who are put under the logical discrepancy lists and facing removal of their names from the electoral rolls.
Logical discrepancies in progeny linking with the 2002 voter list include instances of a mismatch in the parent's name and the age difference between a voter and their parent being less than 15 years or more than 50 years.
The top court asked Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul to spare some judicial officers and find former judges to assist in the SIR work as it took serious note of the state government not sparing enough grade 'A'0 officers for the revision exercise.
Chief Justice Paul has been asked to convene a meeting on Saturday and the same will be attended by Chief Secretary, DGP, official from the EC, Advocate General of the state. Additional Solicitor General of the Union and the Registrar General of the high court on the issue of finalising modalities of deputing judicial officers in SIR process.
"In order to ensure fairness in the adjudication of the genuineness of the documents and consequential inclusion/exclusion in voters list, and as agreed to by both sides, we are left with hardly any other option but to request the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to spare serving judicial officers along with some former judicial officers in the rank of Additional District Judge and District Judges who can then be requested to revisit/dispose of the pending claims under the category of 'logical discrepancy'," the bench ordered.
Disregarding the vehement objections of the state government, the top court permitted the EC to publish a final list of voters in the state by February 28, the deadline fixed earlier. However, it also permitted the election commission to come out with supplementary lists later.
It noted that no prejudice will be caused to anyone if supplementary voter lists are issued after February 28 as names of electors can be included till the last date of filing of nomination papers for the elections.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleged that the orders passed by the electoral roll officers are now being scrutinised by a "new species of officers" called the 'special roll officers'.
"The 'special roll officers' cannot trump EROs. How can they on a wholesale basis reject what ERO has done?" Divan asked.
The election commission refuted that claim and said that the SROs are there since inception. The bench agreed with the submissions of the poll panel.
The bench further said that if there is non-cooperation then the court will deploy judicial officers or ask the EC to deploy the officials from other states.
During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, said that there might be a law and order problem, if the poll panel is permitted to publish the final voter list by February 28.
In a bid to balance equity, the top court said such judicial officers/former judicial officers, while adjudicating the claims and objections, shall be assisted by poll panel's micro-observers and also by the officers of the state government.
"The circumstances being extraordinary, the entrustment of work to judicial officers and former judicial officers is also extraordinary," the bench said.
Senior advocate DS Naidu, appearing for the EC raised the issue of non-cooperation and the law and order enforcement alleging that the documents have been torn apart from miscreants and yet hardly any action has been taken.
He produced the statements made by different political functionaries against the poll officials and said no FIRs were registered against anyone.
CJI Kant, who perused the statements said, "Unfortunately, during the election such irresponsible statements are being made. If no action is taken, the DGP will face the consequences."
The bench then directed district collectors and SPs of the state to provide logistical support and security to the judicial officers deputed for the ongoing SIR work while making it clear that orders passed by judicial officers will be deemed as orders of court.
It said the collector and SPs will be considered under deemed deputation for the purpose of ensuring compliance of directions that may be issued from time to time by the court.
It directed the DGP to file an affidavit on the steps taken on complaints regarding threats to officers involved in the SIR process.
The bench directed the Calcutta High Court chief justice to evolve some alternate interim arrangement for shifting of matters requiring urgent relief to other courts for ten days.
On February 9, the top court made it clear to the states that it will not allow anyone to create any impediment in completion of the SIR and directed the WB DGP to file an affidavit on the EC allegation of burning of its notices by miscreants.
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India’s macroeconomic fundamentals healthy, robust amid volatile financial markets: RBI guv
Mumbai (PTI): India’s macroeconomic fundamentals over the medium-term remain healthy and robust amid volatile financial markets, said RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra as all MPC members voted for status quo on policy rates at their meeting earlier this month.
According to the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday, as most of the members, including the Governor, agreed that the current rate is "appropriate", considering the current growth-inflation dynamics.
The MPC meeting, which was held from February 4 to 6, decided to leave the short-term lending rate (repo) unchanged at 5.25 per cent.
Despite escalating geopolitical tensions and increasing trade frictions posing huge challenges, global growth, supported by a surge in technology-related investments, conducive fiscal and monetary policies, and accommodative financial conditions, is expected to be marginally higher in 2026, minutes quoted Malhotra as saying.
Inflation outcomes may remain divergent across countries. Accordingly, central banks are likely to tread dissimilar policy paths while approaching the end of their easing cycles, he added.
"In the backdrop of large fiscal stimulus and geopolitical uncertainty, global investor sentiments are nervous and financial markets remain volatile," the governor added.
Overall, India's macroeconomic fundamentals over the medium-term, including the external sector, remain healthy and robust, he said, adding that in terms of the inflation-growth dynamics, "we are in a similar or slightly better position than at the last policy".
Growth prospects are looking up while inflation outlook remains broadly unchanged, and several recent developments on the external front have provided room for greater optimism, he said.
"Given the present state of the economy and its outlook – buoyant growth and benign inflation, I feel the current policy rate is appropriate. Accordingly, I vote for continuation of the policy repo rate at 5.25 per cent and retain the neutral stance," Malhotra added.
MPC Member and Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta opined that, underpinned by the continued buoyancy of high-frequency indicators and model-based projections, preliminary estimates of growth for 2026-27 by various agencies have been revised upwards.
The RBI has also slightly raised the real GDP growth projections for Q1 and Q2 of 2026-27, guided by the positive near-term outlook and the trade deals.
"Having already lowered the policy rate by a cumulative 125 bps in four of the last six meetings, with transmission of the last rate cut announced in December 2025 still unfolding, and as the data from the new series is awaited for both GDP and inflation, another rate cut does not seem warranted at this point in time," Gupta said.
Based on a comprehensive review of the domestic macroeconomic conditions and the outlook, the MPC was of the view that the current policy rate was appropriate, and had voted to continue with the existing policy rate.
RBI Executive Director and MPC Member Indranil Bhattacharyya, who also voted for retaining the current policy rate at its present level, said that given that inflation, excluding precious metals, is expected to remain benign for the foreseeable future.
He also favoured retaining the neutral stance of the monetary policy as it provides the flexibility to respond appropriately to the evolving situation.
Besides three members from the RBI, the MPC has an equal number of external members. All the external members -- Nagesh Kumar, Saugata Bhattacharya, and Ram Singh -- favoured continuing with the repo rate of 5.25 per cent.
According to the minutes, Kumar said the economic outlook for the Indian economy has brightened considerably since the December 2025 MPC meeting.
The conclusion of the long-pending EU-India FTA negotiations on January 27, followed quickly by the announcement of the US-India trade deal, has helped to lift the sentiment, which had been depressed by the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on India’s exports by the US since August 2025.
The momentum has been further boosted by the Union Budget 2026-27 proposals, including fostering the manufacturing sector, tourism, services, and the new Data Centres policy, while sustaining the big thrust to the infrastructure capex.
"Together, these developments have lifted India’s economic outlook significantly," he added.
Kumar also said the most important implication of the new trade deals is that India is back at the table as the most promising destination for China+1 supply chain restructuring.
He is the Director and Chief Executive, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, New Delhi.
Bhattacharya, who is a renowned economist, said that the MPC resolution projects CPI (retail) inflation to rise to the target in H1 FY27.
"In my assessment, not just higher inflation, the risks of further inflationary pressures are accumulating. Despite this, the good news is that household inflation expectations remained anchored," he said.
He said that, assessing the macro-financial environment, while awaiting the new economic data series, the prevailing policy rate is appropriate.
He also highlighted that bank credit growth to non-retail sectors has gradually increased, which, together with a stable manufacturing capacity utilisation and signs of fiscal stimulus-led consumption demand boost, might be a harbinger of a gradual revival in private sector capex.
Ram Singh said that the growth prospects are looking up while the inflation outlook remains broadly unchanged.
Moreover, several recent developments on the external front have provided room for greater optimism.
"Given the present state of the economy and its outlook – buoyant growth and benign inflation – I feel the current policy rate is appropriate. Accordingly, I vote for continuation of the policy repo rate at 5.25 per cent and retain the neutral stance," said Singh, who is Director, Delhi School of Economics.
The next meeting of the MPC, RBI's rate-setting panel, is scheduled for April 6 - 8, 2026.
