New Delhi, April 24: The Supreme Court has denied relief to election officers deployed for duty in West Bengal concerning the removal of names from the voter list under the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process. On Friday, the court refused to hear petitions filed by 65 officers regarding this matter.
The officers claimed that their names were removed from the voter list during the SIR process, which deprived them of their voting rights while they were part of the election process.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Suryakant clarified that the petitioners should first raise this issue before the relevant appellate authority. The court emphasized that such cases require detailed factual investigation and hearings, which can be more effectively conducted at the appellate level. The Supreme Court stated that it would be appropriate for the petitioners to first utilize available legal remedies by approaching the relevant appellate tribunal to register their complaints, where their cases could be heard in detail.
Senior Advocate M.R. Shamshad, representing the petitioners, argued that the 65 officers are on election duty, and the situation is ironic as those conducting the elections are unable to vote themselves, given that their EPIC numbers have been removed from their duty orders. He contended that removing names without a show-cause notice is arbitrary on the face of it.
With this ruling, the Supreme Court has declined to hear the petitions, leaving the election officers without immediate relief. They will now need to approach the appellate authority to resolve their complaints.
Previously, the Supreme Court had instructed that individuals whose appeals are accepted by April 21 or 27 should be allowed to vote in the relevant phase, but merely having an appeal pending does not guarantee voting rights.
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My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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