Now Reading: 80% of West Bengal voter appeals challenge inclusions, SC told
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80% of West Bengal voter appeals challenge inclusions, SC told
The Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday that nearly 80% of the 38 lakh appeals pending before West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) appellate tribunals challenge the inclusion of persons in electoral…
The Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday that nearly 80% of the 38 lakh appeals pending before West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) appellate tribunals challenge the inclusion of persons in electoral rolls, not their exclusion. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, citing an RTI reply obtained by MP Isha Khan Choudhary, said only 7 lakh appeals were filed by voters who were removed from the rolls.
Of the 83,000 appeals against exclusions decided so far, over 75,000 were allowed, meaning nearly 90% of rulings favoured the excluded voter. Sankaranarayanan called the data "appalling" and urged the bench to direct tribunals to prioritise the 7 lakh exclusion appeals, noting that Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections are due in December.
The bench, comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, directed the Election Commission to file an affidavit with a break-up of appeals by type, disposal numbers, and steps taken to streamline the process. The ECI was also asked to clarify whether additional tribunals are needed.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The RTI data exposes a structural imbalance in the SIR tribunal system created by the Supreme Court in 2023 to handle West Bengal's voter roll revision. With objectors filing four out of every five appeals, tribunals meant to protect the franchise are instead processing disenfranchisement requests, which can be challenged later under the Representation of the People Act. The 90% allowance rate suggests systematic errors in the deletion process itself. The ECI's affidavit, due before the next hearing, will show whether the commission acknowledges the priority problem and how it plans to reorder the tribunals' workload ahead of the December civic polls.
Election Commission's affidavit on appeal break-up, due before the next hearing.
Source: livelaw.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
