New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to place on record details of appeals disposed of by tribunals hearing challenges to deletion of names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing a plea filed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, seeking the establishment of SIR tribunals at every block across West Bengal to facilitate quicker disposal of appeals against deletion of names from electoral rolls.
The apex court said it wanted to first assess the volume of cases being handled and disposed of by the existing tribunals before examining other concerns, including infrastructure and whether timelines should be prescribed for disposal.
“Let us first see the volume of disposal,” the Court said.
The bench sought specific information from the ECI regarding the functioning of the tribunals, including the number of tribunals currently operating, their working hours and the number of appeals disposed of.
During the hearing, the petitioner sought directions for prescribing a timeline for disposal of appeals. However, the Court said it was not in a position to determine a timeline at this stage.
“Timeline? That we cannot fix; let us first see the quantum and correctness of tribunal decisions,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi said.
The bench indicated that the disposal figures would help it assess the workload and functioning of the tribunals before deciding whether further directions were required.
Senior Advocate Vikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, appearing for another petitioner, also raised concerns regarding the infrastructure available to the tribunals. The Court, however, said it would first examine the disposal data before taking up issues relating to infrastructure and other operational aspects.
The proceedings also saw submissions concerning the alleged denial of ration and other welfare benefits to individuals whose names have been deleted from electoral rolls while their appeals against such deletions remain pending.
On this issue, the Supreme Court indicated that any challenge to the denial of social welfare benefits by the West Bengal government would have to be pursued before the Calcutta High Court.
“If the State of West Bengal chooses to deny social benefits, that deserves to go to the High Court,” the Court said.
The bench further clarified that if the petitioner wanted to expand the scope of the present proceedings to include the issue of denial of social benefits, the appropriate course would be to approach the High Court.
The Supreme Court accordingly directed the ECI to furnish details of the appeals disposed of by the SIR tribunals.
The plea filed by Chowdhury seeks the establishment of SIR tribunals at the block level across West Bengal, arguing that people challenging deletion of their names from electoral rolls could otherwise face difficulties in accessing tribunals located far from their places of residence.
The Court’s direction is aimed at obtaining a clearer picture of the number of appeals pending before and being disposed of by the existing tribunals. The data will be considered before the Court takes up further concerns regarding their functioning, infrastructure and possible timelines for disposal. (ANI)
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