Physical hearing exemption for govt workers, migrants, NRIs
Times of India | 9 January 2026
Kolkata: The EC on Thursday issued directives exempting several categories of voters who are outside the state, including govt and PSU employees, migrant workers, military and paramilitary personnel, students, patients undergoing treatment elsewhere, and NRIs, from personally attending SIR hearings. They can be represented by relatives, the EC said.
"Any family member of such an elector may attend the hearing with documents proving their relation with the elector and submit any of the 13 documents of the elector as notified," a circular issued by Bengal's additional CEO Arindam Noegi said.
TOI had reported on Thursday that EC had decided to allow kin of outstation voters to attend SIR hearings.
The EC on Thursday reiterated that electors above 85, those who are extremely ill and have mobility issues, and people with disabilities are not required to attend hearings at the notified venues. If notices have been issued to them, they will be contacted over phone and asked not to step out of their homes for hearings. EC officials will reach out to their homes to carry out the verification.
There are 31.6 lakh unmapped voters and 25.6 lakh notices have been delivered. Till now, over 7.2 lakh hearings have been completed. On Thursday, more than 68,000 hearings were held across the state.