SC denies Bengal’s plea to delay locking of poll rolls, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court rejected the West Bengal government's plea to delay freezing the electoral roll for the Assembly elections scheduled on April 23 and 29.
• The plea aimed to allow over 20 lakh voters, removed after verification under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a chance to vote.
• The court directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the gheraoing of judicial officers in Malda district on April 1, invoking Article 142 of the Constitution.
• The court criticized the West Bengal Chief Secretary for being incommunicado during the Malda incident.

Detailed Insights:

• The West Bengal government argued that freezing the electoral rolls on April 6 would disenfranchise voters appealing against discrepancies found in their details.
• The Election Commission stated that the verification exercise of objections would be completed by April 6, with a supplementary list published thereafter.
• The court noted that the issue of logical discrepancies was specific to West Bengal, necessitating the use of judicial officers for verification.
• The Supreme Court directed the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to form a committee to frame a procedure for the 19 tribunals handling appeals.
• The court suggested online filing of appeals as a cheaper alternative to reduce queues at appeal filing centers.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Article 142: Empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.
• Electoral Roll: A list of persons eligible to vote in an election, updated periodically to include new voters and remove ineligible ones.
• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A focused exercise to update and rectify electoral rolls, ensuring accuracy and inclusivity.