1 week ago
Bengal SIR Appeals Focus Supreme Court on Voter Roll Restorations
West Bengal checked its voter lists before the state election.
Many people were removed from the lists or had their inclusion questioned.
Lawyers told the Supreme Court that most tribunal cases challenged people being added, not people being removed.
They asked tribunals to first help people who had been left off the voter lists.
They said more than 90% of decided cases resulted in voters being included.
They especially requested quicker action in Kolkata and Howrah.
The Election Commission was asked to give the court more details about the cases.
The revision has raised concerns that genuine voters could be excluded.
The Supreme Court was told that 7 lakh of 38 lakh tribunal appeals challenged voter deletions, while 31 lakh challenged inclusions.
Lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan urged tribunals to prioritize appeals from voters excluded from West Bengal’s electoral rolls.
More than 75,000 of nearly 83,000 disposed appeals resulted in voters being included, according to the submissions.
The lawyer sought priority for appeals from Kolkata and Howrah ahead of expected municipal elections in December.
The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to provide data on pending appeals, their categories, and actions taken.
- Who
- The Supreme Court, the Election Commission, West Bengal voter-roll tribunals, and lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing petitioner Prasenjit Bose.
- What
- The court was asked to prioritize appeals by voters deleted from electoral rolls and directed the Election Commission to submit a detailed affidavit.
- Where
- West Bengal, including Kolkata and Howrah, with the matter heard by the Supreme Court.
- When
- The submissions were made on Tuesday; municipal elections in Kolkata and Howrah are expected in December.
- Why
- The request was based on concerns that excluded voters need urgent restoration and that tribunals have decided more than 90% of resolved cases in favor of inclusion.
Prioritize Deleted Voters
Address Inclusion Challenges
Tribunal priority
Prioritize Deleted Voters
Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued that tribunals should first hear appeals from voters removed from the electoral rolls because their restoration is urgent.
Address Inclusion Challenges
The 31 lakh appeals challenging inclusions were filed by the Election Commission and individual objectors and also remain part of the tribunal workload.
Need for additional tribunals
Prioritize Deleted Voters
The petitioner’s lawyer said additional tribunals may not be necessary if deletion-related appeals are prioritized.
Address Inclusion Challenges
The Election Commission has been asked to provide a complete account of pending appeals and actions taken, leaving the tribunal-capacity question for further consideration.
Impact of the revision
Prioritize Deleted Voters
Critics have raised concerns that genuine voters could be excluded and that the revision could affect electoral outcomes.
Address Inclusion Challenges
The revision process also allows challenges to questionable inclusions through appeals filed by the Election Commission and individual objectors.
Key facts
- Total tribunal appeals
- About 38 lakh
- Appeals against deletions
- About 7 lakh
- Appeals challenging inclusions
- About 31 lakh
- Disposed appeals
- Nearly 83,000
- Cases allowing inclusion
- More than 75,000
- Voters initially excluded
- More than 61 lakh in the final rolls published in February
- Voters removed by April 6
- About 91 lakh, or nearly 11.9% of the pre-revision electorate
Sources
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