HC expresses dismay at SIR tribunal functioning

Kolkata: Are people (whose names were deleted in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll) expected to travel from districts to Joka for appellate tribunal hearing?" Calcutta High Court remarked in the context of appeals not being taken up online and HC being flooded every day by cases seeking "expedite hearing"."How will someone from a remote area appear before tribunal which is in Joka?" Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul) questioned. Justice Dutt (Paul) observed that it is the constitutional right of any person to get his or her name on the voter list. Hence, the problem needs to be resolved promptly. The HC vacation bench suggested that the Centre seek the Supreme Court's nod for setting up SIR tribunals in every district. Nineteen tribunals composed of former high court chief justices and judges were constituted on March 20, following Supreme Court directions to establish an appellate mechanism for grievances arising out of the electoral roll revision process. The tribunals have been set up in Joka on the outskirts of Kolkata.The vacation bench asked the central govt lawyers present in the court to seek the Supreme Court's direction and permission for setting up SIR tribunals in every district of Bengal. The top court had ordered the formation of appellate tribunals to hear appeals against exclusions.Nearly 91 lakh names have been removed from Bengal's voter list as part of the SIR of the electoral roll conducted by the Election Commission. The state had an electorate of 7.6 crore before the revision process commenced.Even on Friday, there were at least three SIR matters before Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul) wanting just one-line order directing the appellate tribunal to hear their cases "expeditiously". These are people who could not make it to the final roll this year and have already appealed against the deletion.They have an appeal number but do not know what is the status of their cases. During the hearing of one such case, Justice Dutt (Paul) told the additional advocate general Rajdeep Mazumder, "Every day there are four to five cases on SIR, what are you doing? Please put up a DM (district management) cell ... Just imagine a man going to Joka from district. Online, also, it has not been taken up. Please take it up on an urgent basis."Justice Dutt (Paul) also urged the state govt to draw the attention of the Supreme Court to the snail pace of appeal clearance and increasing petitions before Calcutta High Court benches seeking directions upon the bench for urgent hearing.