SC worried about West Bengal voter list update ahead elections
The Supreme Court is worried about how West Bengal is updating its voter lists ahead of the April elections.
While other states managed this process without much trouble, West Bengal's revision has hit several roadblocks.
The Bench raised concerns about the revision process; Chief Justice Surya Kant noted that revisions in other states had happened smoothly, while Justice Joymalya Bagchi stressed that the fundamental and constitutional rights to participate in an election are to be protected; that is the bottom line for us.
6 million people could lose voting rights
Concerns are rising after reports that 6 million people in West Bengal could lose their voting rights due to pending exclusion cases and a controversial "logical discrepancy" rule.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and others have warned this could leave many without a voice in the upcoming polls.
To speed things up, 19 special tribunals have been set up to handle appeals ahead of the polls; nomination deadlines were April 6 and April 9, and polling is scheduled for April 23 and April 29.