SC Asks Tribunal to Expedite Decision on Advocate's Plea Against Voter List Deletion in Bengal SIR
SC directs appellate tribunal to expeditiously dispose advocate's appeal against deletion from electoral rolls post Bengal SIR exercise.
Verdicto News Desk 
The Supreme Court on Friday directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide an appeal filed by a West Bengal-based advocate whose name was deleted from the voters' list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana observed that the petitioner appeared to be a bona fide resident of West Bengal. The petitioner's counsel told the court that the 75-year-old, an advocate of nearly five decades practising in Murshidabad since 1977, was a valid voter prior to the SIR exercise.
"You (petitioner) appear to be a bona fide resident of West Bengal. You know the mechanism which we have created," the bench remarked.
The counsel informed the court that an appeal had already been filed before the appellate tribunal against the deletion but remained pending. The bench disposed of the plea, directing the tribunal to decide the appeal preferably within two months.
Around 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand were deployed to handle nearly 60 lakh claims and objections from voters whose names were removed during the SIR exercise. Following the Supreme Court's directions, the Calcutta High Court had earlier set up 19 appellate tribunals, headed by former chief justices and judges of high courts, to adjudicate such appeals.
