Supreme Court directs Election Commission to provide data on West Bengal electoral roll appeals

A Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, directed the Election Commission of India to provide comprehensive data on the status of appeals filed by voters removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision process in West Bengal. The court specifically requested information on the number of appeals received and the number of cases already decided by the appellate tribunals established to address these grievances. The directive followed a petition filed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who argued that the current pace of tribunal proceedings is insufficient to address the concerns of affected citizens.

The court expressed concern regarding the speed of the disposal process, noting that the current rate of progress could lead to further delays in the electoral process. While the bench declined to set a fixed timeline for the resolution of individual cases, it agreed to examine issues related to the number of tribunals, their operating hours, and the overall efficiency of the grievance redressal mechanism. The Election Commission is now required to report on the progress of these appeals to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral roll revision process.