New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine on April 13 a fresh plea along with pending ones challenging the freezing of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the upcoming assembly poll in West Bengal. The poll panel froze and finalised the electoral rolls on April 9 for the seats, which are going to polls in the first stage.
The matter was mentioned by a lawyer before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The lawyer requested the bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, to take up the plea against freezing on an urgent basis.
The lawyer submitted before the bench that many appeals challenging the deletions from the electoral rolls are still pending. The lawyer stressed that the poll panel had frozen the rolls on April 9. The bench said it will consider the petition on April 13.
Senior advocate D S Naidu, representing the ECI, said the freezing date was April 9. Naidu emphasised that after April 9, none will be considered.
“Right to vote remains; these appellants are similarly situated like others whose appeals were allowed,” Naidu said.
“What was the architecture …we are thinking. There is a cut-off line with respect to an election, and underlying it is a constitutional right to be on the electoral roll and to vote in further elections. That is much higher and permanent,” Justice Bagchi orally observed. The CJI said the person is not being deprived permanently.
Assembly elections in West Bengal are slated in two phases on April 23 and 29. The votes will be counted for all polls on May 4.
