The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed concern over the slow pace of proceedings before tribunals hearing appeals filed by voters excluded during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Hearing a petition filed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed that the process could take so long that “the next election will come” before the pending appeals are disposed of.
Chowdhury has sought the setting up of additional tribunals in Murshidabad and neighbouring Malda, citing the large number of appeals from the two districts and the comparatively low rate of disposal.
The case was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
During the hearing, Chowdhury’s counsel Firdous Shamim placed details before the court regarding the number of applications and their disposal. The Supreme Court subsequently issued a notice to the Election Commission, observing that there was no clear information on how many cases had actually been disposed of.
Justice Bagchi said, “It is not enough to merely file an appeal before the tribunal. We also need to see how many cases have been disposed of.”
He suggested that if the number of applications is high and the rate of disposal remains slow, the structure of the tribunals may need to be reconsidered.
Chief Justice Surya Kant told the Election Commission, “If the work is not expedited, the next election will come!”
He further remarked, “It is not enough for you to simply say whether the work is being done or not. We also need to see what is happening there, because we are the ones who constituted the tribunals.”
Around 27 lakh people out of nearly 91 lakh voters excluded during the SIR process are estimated to have approached the tribunals with appeals.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed that retired judges should decide cases involving inclusion or exclusion of names, amid concerns over a lack of mutual trust between the parties.
Initially, 20 tribunals were constituted across West Bengal. However, two retired judges subsequently withdrew from the process. At present, appeals are being heard by 18 tribunals across 24 districts.
While disposal figures were provided during the initial stages, the Election Commission now appears unable to provide a clear and updated account of the number of applications disposed of.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Election Commission counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu said the Commission would consider any changes to the tribunal structure in accordance with directions issued by the Supreme Court.
Justice Bagchi suggested that the authorities explore the possibility of regular online updates and greater use of technology to speed up the disposal process.
The court, however, has specifically asked the Election Commission to provide details of the number of appeals disposed of by the tribunals so far.
The court was also informed that some people whose names were deleted during the SIR process were allegedly being denied ration benefits.
The Chief Justice-led bench, however, said the issue was “completely different” from the matter before it and observed that those affected could approach the High Court if necessary.
The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for August 25, when several other cases related to the SIR process are also listed before the Supreme Court.
