Constitution illustrator's grandson, wife missing from Bengal voter list
What's the story
Suprabuddha Sen, the grandson of Nandalal Bose, who illustrated India's Constitution, has claimed that his name and that of his wife are missing from the voter list in West Bengal after a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was conducted ahead of the state elections. Initially, their names were marked as "pending" but were later removed after adjudication, Dainik Bhaskar English reported.
Process scrutiny
Justice Munshi, family also excluded
The SIR process in West Bengal has been criticized for its lack of procedural clarity and safeguards during verification. Among those initially excluded from the voter list were former Calcutta High Court Justice Sahidullah Munshi and his family members. "No reasons were assigned to me why my name was deleted, so I do not know on what ground I can appeal before the appellate tribunal," Munshi told Bar & Bench.
Legal intervention
Mamata Banerjee moves SC against SIR
In February, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to conduct an SIR. Fearing mass disenfranchisement of eligible voters in upcoming state assembly elections, she had requested that polls be held on last year's electoral rolls. The Supreme Court had then ordered judicial officers to ensure smooth conduct of the SIR exercise.
Case disposal
1.92 lakh cases disposed per day
According to data accessed by Bar & Bench, 52 lakh objections to the exclusion of voters from the election list were adjudicated by 900 or so judicial officers over the course of 27 working days. Between February 23 and April 2, 52 lakh cases of electors objecting to their exclusion from the final electoral roll were resolved. This translates to a disposal rate of 1.92 lakh cases per day.