The Supreme Court on Friday directed people challenging their exclusion from electoral rolls in West Bengal to approach the Calcutta High Court or the Appellate Tribunals for relief.
The Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymala Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi held that if the affected persons were able to show urgency, their cases may be taken up out of turn. The petitioners could move the High Court either on the administrative or judicial side, for further judicial intervention, added the Court.
It further allowed the petitioners to seek urgent hearing from either the High Court or Tribunals.
The Apex Court noted that most issues had already been addressed in its earlier order dated April 13, but some fresh concerns may continue to arise and require attention from the High Court or the tribunals.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kalyan Banerjee apprised the Bench that only a small number of appeals had been decided by the tribunals despite a large volume of cases, and stressed the need for faster disposal.
The Court said that parties were free to raise their concerns before the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court for appropriate action.
Earlier, the Court had directed that those whose appeals against exclusion were allowed before the specified cut-off dates would be permitted to vote in the relevant phases of the West Bengal elections. It had also clarified that merely having a pending appeal did not give a person the right to vote.
West Bengal went to polls in the first phase on April 23, registering a ecord-high voter turnout of 92℅. The second phase of voting is scheduled for April 29.
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