Kolkata: Following a Trinamool Congress’s letter to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, requesting that grounds of rejection be mentioned, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the appellate tribunals must have access to the adjudication records and must ensure that reasons are provided to the voters against the decisions that will be taken.
On the basis of a letter from the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice, the Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi observed that nearly 47 lakh out of 60 lakh claims have been disposed of by the judicial officers and the pending claims will be cleared by April 7. According to the CEO’s office, till Wednesday evening, 50 lakh cases have been disposed of and the percentage of deletions among them is around 45 per cent.
The court took note of the constitution of 19 Appellate Tribunals by the Election Commission of India, headed by former Chief Justices and senior judges, to hear appeals arising out of the ongoing voter list revision exercise in West Bengal. Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation in Kolkata, has been identified as a ready facility with multiple chambers to enable swift hearings.
A key concern flagged before the court was the absence of recorded reasons in decisions taken by judicial officers while disposing of objections. Addressing this, the bench directed that appellate tribunals must revisit the complete records, including reasons assigned, and ensure these are furnished to the parties concerned. The court emphasised that both excluded voters and authorities aggrieved by wrongful inclusion must have access to such reasons to effectively pursue appeals.
The bench further clarified that tribunals are empowered to correct both wrongful exclusions and inclusions, underscoring that the revision exercise must reach its “logical conclusion”. It also permitted tribunals to evolve their own procedures, subject to principles of natural justice, and mandated that parties be given a fair hearing. On administrative issues, the court recorded assurances that honorarium and logistical expenses of tribunal members and staff would be released promptly.
During the hearing, concerns over bulk applications for new voter registration (Form 6) were raised by petitioners. The court, however, declined to act on oral submissions, advising that such grievances be placed before the appellate tribunals with proper material on record.
Meanwhile, the TMC in its letter to Calcutta High Court Chief Justice also sought decentralisation of the appeals process, requesting that physical appeals be accepted not only at District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Officer offices but also at Block Development Offices to ease access for rural voters. The party further urged the High Court to initiate notification for the commencement of offline appeals at the earliest, stating that decentralised filing would benefit a large number of voters living far from district headquarters.