NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court on Friday used its “extraordinary powers” to deploy judicial officers in West Bengal to decide applications for inclusion in the voter list and expedite the completion of the special intensive review of electoral rolls.
The court stressed that CM Mamata Banerjee should be aware of the consequences if the review process is not completed. The court explained that the unprecedented judicial intervention under Article 142 of the Constitution was necessary because of the “exceptional situation” that had arisen in Bengal due to lack of trust and lack of cooperation between the EC and the Bengal government. A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also, over the objections of the TMC-led government, allowed the Election Commission (EC) to publish the revised electoral list – 95% of the total list – on February 28, the deadline for publishing the final voters list, while the remaining inclusion applications are still being decided.
The panel also disagreed with the state government’s claim that electoral registration officers, not judicial officers, should have the final say in deciding applications for inclusion in the voter list.TMC: SC order on SIR to vote of no confidence against ECThe Trinamool Congress on Friday described the Supreme Court’s order to replace judicial officers with officers appointed by the EC to hear cases of SIR’s logical inconsistency as a “vote of no confidence against the EC”.
In a post on the “Even the highest court of the country seems convinced that the poll body is neither impartial nor competent, after burdening people with unwarranted hearing notices,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
