West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court demands data on appeals as municipal polls close in
The bench sought data on 38.1 lakh appeals and asked whether exclusion cases should be heard first because they affect voting rights.
- On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India to provide a detailed breakdown of appeals before West Bengal's appellate tribunals, seeking data on pending cases and whether appeals sought voter inclusion or exclusion.
- Petitioners told the Bench that 38 lakh appeals were filed across 19 tribunals, with 31 lakh filed by the Commission or objectors seeking voter removal, while only 7 lakh came from disenfranchised citizens seeking reinclusion.
- Of the 82,782 appeals disposed of by tribunals, more than 91 per cent resulted in voter restoration, raising questions about the initial deletion of genuine voters from electoral rolls.
- Upcoming municipal and panchayat elections require that pending appeals be adjudicated in a time-bound manner, as the Court emphasized finalizing voter rolls before Lok Sabha polls in 2029.
- Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan urged the Bench to prioritize cases of excluded voters, noting that affected citizens face uncertainty regarding government benefits and travel due to their exclusion from rolls.
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13 Articles
SC questions TMC plea for fresh Bengal elections over SIR
The Supreme Court has raised important legal questions over the Trinamool Congress’ challenge concerning voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana considered an application moved by senior advocate Kalyan Bandhopadhyay on behalf of a TMC member. At the centre of the hearing was the contention that vote…
West Bengal SIR: Supreme Court seeks appeal data, asks if fresh elections can be ordered over deleted votes
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana sought a constituency-wise and category-wise break-up of the appeals pending before the SIR appellate tribunals.
On Bengal voter list, Supreme Court asks for break up of appeals before Tribunals
Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, appearing for a Trinamool Congress member, said an application had been filed pointing out that in 31 constituencies, BJP’s winning margin against the TMC in the recent Assembly polls was less than the number of deleted votes.
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