The Supreme Court ordered an expedited hearing of appeals concerning voter exclusions in West Bengal after the Special Intensive Revision process. During the hearing, the Court orally observed that a 75-year-old advocate omitted from the final voter list may be entitled to inclusion.
The Supreme Court said issues in West Bengal’s SIR voter list revision are mostly administrative and should be handled by the Calcutta High Court. The Court will consider extending the electoral roll freeze date; next hearing on April 1.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may attend the Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday in cases challenging the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The petitions allege arbitrariness and warn that the exercise could lead to mass voter disenfranchisement.
