NewKerala.com

Bengal Polls: Judicial Adjudication Nears End, 13 Lakh Cases Remain

The judicial adjudication process for West Bengal's voter list discrepancies is nearing completion, with over 78% of cases resolved and roughly 13 lakh remaining. Election officials are confident the entire process will be finished by the end of this week. In a separate incident, the Election Commission has suspended a Block Development Officer in Nadia district following violence at an election-training center. An electoral officer was allegedly assaulted by ruling party activists during a training session.

Key Points: Bengal Polls: Judicial Adjudication to End This Week

  • 78% of discrepancy cases processed
  • 13 lakh cases remain pending
  • ECI suspends Nadia BDO
  • Violence at election training center
  • Voter deletions can be appealed
2 min read

Bengal polls: Judicial adjudication cases come down to 13 lakh; process likely to end this week

Over 78% of West Bengal's voter list discrepancy cases adjudicated, with 13 lakh remaining. ECI suspends BDO over training center violence.

"the Commission is confident of completing the process by this week - CEO's office insider"

Kolkata, April 1

The judicial adjudication process has been completed for over 78 per cent of the cases referred for adjudication after being classified under the "logical discrepancy" category, with the process yet to be completed for another 13 lakh cases.

The figures stood till Tuesday night, said officials on Wednesday. Considering the speed at which the judicial adjudication process is being conducted by over 700 judicial officers, including 100 each from neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha, the Commission is confident of completing the process by this week, said an insider from the CEO's office.

Although the exact number of the excludable lot of the 47 lakh cases for which the judicial adjudication process has been completed till Tuesday night had not been spelt out, the CEO's office insider said that the average daily deletion percentage is around 40 per cent of the cases for which the process is completed during the day.

Those voters whose names would be deleted in the course of the judicial adjudication will have the option to approach any one of 19 Appellate Tribunals constituted for that purpose.

To recall, the final voters' list in West Bengal, minus the 60,00,675 cases that were referred for judicial adjudication, was published on February 28. It was decided then that supplementary lists would be published periodically as per the progress of the judicial adjudication, at the order of the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the immediate suspension of the block development officer (BDO) of Hanskhali in Nadia district of West Bengal, Sayantan Bhattacharya. The action comes over an incident of violence at an election-training centre in the district, in which an electoral officer, Saikat Chatterjee, also a teacher by profession, was severely thrashed, allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress activists within the training centre, and that too in the presence of the BDO.

He was reportedly thrashed after he protested against the playing of a purported Trinamool Congress campaign video during an electoral training programme.

The ECI sought a detailed report on the matter, and following the Commission's instructions, an FIR was also registered at the local police station. A report was sent from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to the ECI's headquarters in New Delhi, and finally, the Commission decided to suspend the BDO concerned.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh Q
The speed is impressive with officers from other states helping. But a 40% average deletion rate? That's very high. It raises questions about how these "logical discrepancies" crept into the list in the first place. Was there a lack of oversight earlier?
S
Sarah B
The most shocking part is the attack on the electoral officer. Playing campaign videos during a training session is completely unacceptable, and assault is criminal. The ECI acted rightly by suspending the BDO who was present. Hope the FIR leads to actual arrests.
A
Aman W
Good that voters have the option to approach Appellate Tribunals if their names are deleted. The process must be fair and transparent. People shouldn't lose their right to vote because of bureaucratic errors. The EC must ensure these tribunals are easily accessible.
K
Karthik V
Completing 78% is a big task done. Hope the remaining 13 lakh cases are handled with the same diligence. The Supreme Court's monitoring is crucial here. Bengal needs a free and fair election, and it starts with a correct voter list. 🤞
N
Nidhi U
The incident in Nadia is worrying. If officials aren't safe inside a training centre, what about common voters? The EC must provide strict security to all its officers on duty. This sets a terrible precedent.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50