Kolkata, April 20 -- The Supreme Court on Monday said it will seek a report from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on the functioning of appellate tribunals dealing with electoral roll disputes arising from West Bengal's Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The observation came after Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat mentioned the matter before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. Kamat submitted that certain practical issues were being faced in accessing the appellate tribunals, despite the apex court's earlier directions.
He pointed out that in some instances, tribunals were not permitting lawyers to appear for parties and were accepting only online applications. This, he argued, created logistical challenges for individuals seeking to file or pursue appeals, particularly those located far from tribunal centres. Reference was also made to media reports indicating operational difficulties.
Taking note of the submissions, the Bench said it would obtain a report from the High Court on the same day. The Chief Justice, however, remarked on the frequency of mentions in the matter.
The issue is significant in view of the Supreme Court's recent order, passed under Article 142 of the Constitution, allowing preparation of a supplementary electoral roll ahead of the Assembly elections. The court had directed that voters whose appeals are allowed within a specified timeframe must be included in the rolls and permitted to vote.
As per the order, names cleared by April 21 for the first phase and April 27 for the second phase are to be reflected in the electoral rolls. Polling in West Bengal is scheduled for April 23 and April 29.
The court also clarified that individuals whose appeals remain pending will not be eligible to vote, emphasising that allowing such participation could affect the integrity of the verification process.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.