'Can't restore voters': Bengal tribunals flag issues with ECI's portal
What's the story
Judges of over a dozen appellate tribunals in West Bengal have raised concerns about the Election Commission's online system for handling appeals under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The issues were highlighted at a meeting on August 11 and included problems with serving notices and uploading documents, a new Indian Express report said. The tribunals were set up on Supreme Court orders to address appeals from voters whose names were deleted during the SIR process.
Portal shortcomings
Judges list issues with online portal
According to the report, the judges complained that the ECI's portal does not have a system to directly serve notices to parties involved in appeals.
A notice format approved by some tribunals in May has also not been implemented.
They couldn't upload additional documents from voters who filed appeals, or hold virtual hearings, or restore a deleted voter.
Additionally, appellants can't download certified copies of tribunal orders from the portal, crucial for understanding why their names were deleted or included.
Tracking issues
Concerns over physically submitted appeals
The judges also expressed concern over appeals submitted physically to district authorities, saying there was no proper mechanism to digitize and track such cases.
They warned that "injustice will be done to such citizens" if these appeals don't reach the right channel.
The tribunal system was set up to provide legal recourse for 27.16 lakh electors whose names were deleted after judicial scrutiny of 60.06 lakh voters flagged by the Election Commission for "logical discrepancies" or being "unmapped."
Judicial intervention
Supreme Court's directive on establishment of tribunals
The Supreme Court had initially ordered the appointment of judicial officers in February and later directed the establishment of appellate tribunals comprising retired High Court judges.
Nineteen single-member tribunals were notified on March 20, though two judges have since resigned and been replaced.
The Bengal SIR process remains unresolved even after Assembly elections, with 38.31 lakh appeals filed by September 10.