Supreme Court: Concerned about the fatalities of BLOs participating in SIR, the Supreme Court gives states instructions.

 Supreme Court:  on Thursday expressed profound worries about the deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) participating in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral registers in many states. The top court has ordered them to lessen their workload, which was allegedly having an adverse effect on their health.

The SC stated that it was the duty of state governments to manage BLOs’ workloads and ensure their safety, ordering the deployment of additional workers to shorten their working hours.

The top court noted that if any employee has a specific reason to seek exemption from duty, the concerned authority should consider such requests on a case-to-case basis. The Supreme Court said that states can increase manpower significantly—deploying 20,000 or even 30,000 staff in places where only 10,000 are currently assigned.

The Court further declared that state governments may assign a substitute employee to the SIR duty in the event that any BLO is ill or unable to carry out their duties.

In the past month, a number of BLOs operating in the 12 states where the Election Commission is in charge of the SIR exercise have passed away. Their relatives have blamed their deaths on the tremendous pressure they were under from their superiors at work.

Opposition attacks the EC and administration
The Congress, TMC, and SP are among the opposition parties that have voiced concerns about this matter and chastised the government and the Election Commission.

Some BLOs have reportedly committed suicide, while others have passed away from heart attacks.

Deaths from SIR have been reported in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan, MP, and Uttar Pradesh.