Overview
- The bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said states are obligated to supply the Election Commission with the required workforce and may add personnel to reduce duty hours.
- State authorities must consider individual exemption requests from BLOs on a case-by-case basis, replace those exempted, and not withdraw deputed staff without substitutes.
- The court left ex-gratia claims for deceased BLOs to be filed later and allowed other unresolved reliefs to be pursued separately.
- TVK alleged 35–40 BLO suicides and FIRs under Section 32 in Uttar Pradesh, while the Election Commission said criminal action is used only against reluctant officers.
- Broader challenges to SIR procedures, including disputes over citizenship determination powers, will continue in upcoming hearings, as states like Rajasthan report rapid progress with 99.5% of forms uploaded and high voter mapping.