The Supreme Court on Thursday stepped in to ease the mounting pressure on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), directing state governments to deploy additional staff during the ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls. A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said the present workload was unsustainable and insisted that working hours be reduced through immediate administrative support.
The Court also made it clear that requests for exemption from BLO duty must be evaluated individually. &ldquo;Wherever an officer cites genuine personal difficulty, the state must examine the request and replace the person with another worker,&rdquo; the Bench observed. The directions come amid serious concerns over the rising number of stress-linked deaths and suicides among BLOs in several states.
Petitioners highlighted alarming cases from Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala, pointing to suicides allegedly linked to work pressure, threats of penal action and unrealistic deadlines. Uttar Pradesh alone has reported 10 deaths in 12 days, while Bengal has recorded nearly 40 BLO deaths. BLOs from Bengal said that increased scrutiny and hurried timelines had made their work &ldquo;unmanageable&rdquo;.
Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, the Court said employees who feel their grievances remain unaddressed may approach it again. While the issue of ex-gratia payment for deceased BLOs will be taken up later, the Bench stressed that state governments must act swiftly to safeguard the welfare of frontline electoral workers, the backbone of India&rsquo;s voter roll system.

SC Eases Workload Rules for Overburdened BLOs

States told to add staff, consider exemptions as BLO distress cases rise

SC Eases Workload Rules for Overburdened BLOs

States told to add staff, consider exemptions as BLO distress cases rise

December 4, 2025 | 15:16 IST