Supreme Court lauds peaceful Bengal Phase 1 voting turnout

The Supreme Court on Friday praised the historic voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections and welcomed the peaceful completion of polling. The court noted that the voting process ended without violence, which is considered a major achievement in a state that has witnessed election-related unrest in the past. The remarks came during a hearing related to the revision of voter lists in West Bengal.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed happiness over the strong participation of voters in the democratic process. Referring to the first phase of polling held on Thursday, he said that seeing such a high turnout as a citizen of India made him proud. He added that when people actively exercise their right to vote, it strengthens the country’s democratic structure and reflects public faith in elections.

West Bengal recorded an impressive 92.88 percent voter turnout in the first phase of the Assembly elections, which covered 152 constituencies. The Election Commission has scheduled the second phase of voting for April 29, while the counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on May 4. The high turnout has drawn attention across political and judicial circles.

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Supreme Court hears pleas on voter list revision

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi heard a group of petitions connected to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. One of the petitions was filed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The matter mainly concerns the process of updating voter lists and complaints related to deletion or exclusion of names from the rolls.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also appreciated the large voter turnout and praised the deployment of central forces for maintaining peace during polling. He said the presence of security personnel helped ensure smooth elections in sensitive areas. Their role became especially important in West Bengal, where past elections have often seen clashes and violence.

The Supreme Court directed people whose names officials removed from voter lists to seek relief from the 19 appellate tribunals operating under court supervision. It instructed these tribunals to prioritise urgent requests for inclusion in the voter rolls. During the hearing, senior advocate and Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee welcomed the turnout but claimed many voters participated because they feared authorities might remove their names if they did not vote. He also said the tribunals had resolved only 139 appeals so far, while nearly 27 lakh people were still waiting for hearings.

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