Bengal: EC deviated from SIR process by introducing ‘logical discrepancy’ category, observes SC

The Supreme Court on Monday verbally remarked that in West Bengal, the Election Commission appeared to have deviated from the special intensive revision procedure that it had adopted in other states by introducing a new category of “logical discrepancy”, Live Law reported.

In the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, logical discrepancies refer to a mismatch in parents’ names, low age gap with parents and the number of children of the parents being more than six.

However, the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi dismissed the petition by persons whose appeals against exclusions from the voter rolls are pending before appellate tribunals, Live Law reported. But the court allowed the petitioners to pursue their appeals before the tribunals.

It clarified that “necessary consequences shall follow” if the petitioners’ appeals are allowed, Live Law reported.

The court also noted on Monday that it cannot allow persons to vote in the West Bengal Assembly elections whose appeals challenging their exclusion from the voter list are pending before the appellate tribunals, Bar and Bench reported. More than 34 lakh such appeals have been filed before the appellate tribunals, the bench noted.

However, the court indicated that it might consider the plea to allow the publication of supplementary electoral rolls to include the persons whose appeals are accepted before polling, Live Law reported.

During the hearing on Monday, Bagchi also questioned the Election...

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