'Very Happy News For Us': Mamata On SC Relief On Supplementary Voter List

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict which allows voters in the state, cleared by appellate tribunals for inclusion in electoral rolls at least two days before the elections, to exercise their franchise.

Banerjee said, "I received the good news just as I was boarding my helicopter while returning from Dinhata. I had urged everyone to exercise patience. Today, the Supreme Court has ruled that those whose names appear in the electoral rolls must be granted their voting rights. This is indeed very happy news for us".

The Chief Minister said she has called upon leaders and workers of Trinamool Congress to visit the homes of those whose names are included in the lists and personally deliver their voter slips, thereby ensuring they are able to cast their votes. "It gives me great satisfaction to reflect on the fact that I personally participated in the hearings of the case. The judiciary has once again made us proud," she said.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi issued the verdict.

Exercising its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to include the names of voters in the electoral rolls once their applications, currently pending before the Appellate Tribunal, are disposed of. Accordingly, the Election Commission is required to publish a supplementary list for those whose applications are settled by April 21 and April 27, respectively.

The court said the Election Commission must make appropriate arrangements to ensure that anyone deemed an eligible voter is permitted to cast their vote. However, the apex court clarified in its order that those whose names have been excluded—or whose applications remain unsettled—shall not be permitted to vote.

Earlier, on April 13, the case was heard by the Chief Justice's Division Bench.

Subsequently, on Thursday, the apex court's written order was made public. In its order, the court explicitly cited the exercise of its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and directed that for the first phase of voting—scheduled for April 23—any individual deemed eligible by the Tribunal by April 21 (two days prior to the election) must be recognized as a valid voter.

Similarly, for the second phase of voting on April 29, those whose names are included in the rolls by April 27 shall be entitled to exercise their franchise. Article 142 of the Constitution vests the Supreme Court with certain special powers. Foremost among these is the authority granted to the country's apex court to deliver a verdict—even by stepping outside the conventional framework—if it deems such a course necessary to ensure complete justice in a particular case.

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