New Delhi, April 24: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain petitions from several West Bengal residents, including 65 employees on active election duty, whose names were removed from the electoral rolls. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi directed the 77 petitioners to raise their grievances before the specialized appellate tribunals established for this purpose.
The legal challenge centered on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which reportedly led to the exclusion of numerous voters just before the state’s assembly elections. Counsel for the petitioners argued that the exclusion of 65 employees currently serving as election personnel was particularly arbitrary, noting that their duty orders explicitly listed the same EPIC numbers that were later deleted. The lawyer maintained that no show-cause notices were issued prior to the removal of their names, rendering them unable to vote in the very election they are conducting.
“You should present your arguments before the appellate tribunal,” the bench stated, emphasizing that the tribunal is the appropriate authority to pass orders on pending appeals. While the court refused to grant voting rights to those with pending appeals, it affirmed that it would later review the “more valuable right” of citizens to remain on the electoral rolls.
The ruling follows a previous directive where the apex court allowed the Election Commission to issue supplementary rolls only for voters whose appeals have already been accepted by the tribunals. Exercising its powers under Article 142, the court clarified that if the 19 tribunals—headed by former High Court judges—dispose of the appeals by specific deadlines (April 21 or April 27, depending on the polling phase), those voters will be eligible to cast their ballots. West Bengal conducted its first phase of voting on April 23, with the second and final phase scheduled for April 29.
