Kolkata: Judges appointed by the Supreme Court to tribunals hearing appeals against West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have
reportedly flagged at least twice in the past four weeks that the Election Commission’s requirement for Aadhaar authentication on its portal is delaying final orders. Official records, as accessed by The Indian Express, revealed that the judges had raised objections to the Aadhaar authentication requirement for issuing orders on the appeals in September, and again less than two weeks ago. As per the report, three days after the Aadhaar-authentication screen was introduced on September 21, the judges wrote to the poll panel on September 24, seeking its removal. Meanwhile, on October 13, the tribunals’ in-charge again asked the EC to “fix the issue” so the tribunals could function smoothly and upload final orders, official records show. The judges also flagged inadequate working conditions at the tribunals to both the Election Commission and the Calcutta High Court. In a letter dated October 1, ten judges highlighted cramped offices, saying they were forced to work in rooms measuring around 12×10 square feet alongside seven or eight staff members. They also pointed out a shortage of stationery and a lack of access to washrooms. The judges further sought a twofold increase in their honorarium, arguing that the existing payment of Rs 25,000 was neither appropriate nor commensurate with the dignity of their office, reported The Indian Express. Meanwhile, in September this year, the Election Commission had urged the Supreme Court to increase the number of appellate tribunals adjudicating appeals against exclusions and inclusions in the West Bengal voter list after the SIR exercise from the present 19 to 42 to “facilitate expeditious disposal of the pending appeals”. This comes after data revealed the sluggish pace of functioning of these tribunals. Of the 38.20 lakh appeals filed so far, 19 tribunals disposed of just 1.02 lakh appeals in six months since they began functioning. “With a view to further streamline and expedite the disposal of the pending appeals, it is proposed that the number of Appellate Tribunals in the State of West Bengal may be considered for increase to correspond with the number of Parliamentary Constituencies in the State, so as to facilitate expeditious disposal of the pending appeals,” said the ECI’s affidavit filed in response to a petition in the Supreme Court by TMC MP Derek O’Brien challenging the SIR process.
