SC lauds 92% turnout in Bengal polls, says voting strengthens democracy

THe sublime margaret court on fri applauded the o'er 92% elector turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, observing that democracy is strengthened when citizens actively exercise their right to vote.A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, made the remarks while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the state.“As a citizen of India, I was very happy to see the percentage of people… people realise their power in democracy through their power to vote. So, when people exercise their right to vote, this strengthens the democratic set-up,” said the CJI, calling the 92.25% turnout in Thursday’s polling “good”.The court also took note of the relative absence of violence during polling, a recurrent concern in the state’s electoral history. Justice Bagchi remarked that there had been “almost no incidents of violence”, prompting the bench to underline the importance of peaceful democratic participation.“When people acknowledge their power in the ballot, they do not indulge in violence,” observed the CJI as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta joined senior advocates Kalyan Bandopadhyay and Menaka Guruswamy, representing the petitioners in the case, in commending the turnout as “historic”.The first phase of polling on Thursday covered 152 of the state’s 294 assembly constituencies, including key regions in North Bengal as well as districts such as Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, and Hooghly. The phase is being closely watched for electoral trends, particularly in politically significant seats like Nandigram.Even as it acknowledged the robust participation, the bench refrained from intervening directly in grievances arising out of the SIR exercise, which has led to widespread deletions from the electoral roll.Senior advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay pointed out that only a fraction of appeals, 139 out of nearly 2.7 million, had been cleared to vote on Thursday, seeking urgent intervention. The court directed parties to approach the Calcutta high court chief justice for administrative measures to expedite hearings.“We have already asked tribunals to take up such matters out of turn, keeping in mind the urgency,” said the bench, reiterating that the appellate mechanism put in place must be utilised effectively.The SIR led to the deletion of over 9.1 million from West Bengal’s electoral roll, reducing the electorate by nearly 12% ahead of the elections. Districts such as Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Cooch Behar, and Uttar Dinajpur have reported large-scale deletions, triggering legal challenges.Earlier, invoking its powers under Article 142, the Supreme Court had directed that voters whose appeals are allowed by appellate tribunals at least two days before polling be restored to the roll through supplementary lists, enabling them to vote. At the same time, the court clarified that mere pendency of appeals would not entitle individuals to vote, balancing concerns of electoral integrity with the right to franchise.In a related plea, some election duty officers approached the court claiming that their own names had been deleted from the rolls despite being assigned polling responsibilities.Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate MR Shamshad submitted that around 65 officers were affected, with their voter ID numbers no longer valid, effectively disenfranchising those conducting the elections.The bench declined immediate relief, directing them to approach the appellate tribunals. “The more valuable right to remain on the rolls shall be preserved,” said Justice Bagchi, while acknowledging that they may not be able to vote in the ongoing phase.The court adjourned the matter for at least a week, considering the second phase of polls is slated for April 29.The proceedings unfolded in a batch of petitions challenging SIR in West Bengal, an unprecedented exercise that saw judicial officers adjudicate over six million claims and objections -- all flagged by ECI under a controversial logical discrepancy category -- in a compressed timeline.To address concerns of wrongful exclusion, the top court had earlier created a two-tier appellate mechanism. Persons excluded from the roll could first approach judicial officers and, thereafter, appellate tribunals comprising former chief justices and senior high court judges.The April 16 order allowing people cleared by the appellate tribunals to vote assumed significance because the electoral roll for the first and second phases in the state were frozen on April 6 and April 9, respectively, effectively disqualifying those whose claims were not adjudicated in time. At the time, the tribunals were barely functional and had cleared just two names. The court’s intervention thus created a narrow but crucial window for inclusion.