Kolkata: Several retired judges of the appellate tribunals has reportedly raised concerns on Wednesday, including lack of facilities at the proposed tribunal office in Joka. The EC officials, sources said, failed to respond satisfactorily, leading to fresh uncertainty over when they will start functioning.
A virtual training session for 19 retired judges was held on Wednesday evening through the Calcutta High Court and also attended by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and other senior judges.
According to sources, the session began with commission officials demonstrating an app to the retired judges, stating that all plaints and relevant documents had been uploaded there and that adjudication would have to be carried out based on those records. However, a section of the judges soon raised a series of concerns regarding lack of standard operating procedures, or SOPs, for conducting the process.
"They also questioned the availability of adequate infrastructure at the SP Mookerjee Institute in Joka, the identified office for tribunals. Some retired judges sought clarity on whether complaints — such as a BLO failing to accept a voter's documents — would automatically qualify for adjudication. Some argued that before a voter's name is permanently removed from the roll, the individual must be given an opportunity to present their case," sources said.
Sources added that the series of questions left the EC officials struggling to respond. At one point, they reportedly contacted senior authorities in the EC for clarification, but no clear answers came.
During the session, several judges reportedly made it clear that unless the issues were addressed, tribunals would not be able to function smoothly. A few others echoed similar concerns. "Eventually, expressing dissatisfaction over lack of responses, at least three retired judges walked out of the virtual meeting, leading to the end of it," sources said.
Earlier on Wednesday, EC counsel Dama Seshadri Naidu informed the SC that the training to retired judges was being imparted on Wednesday. EC also said the tribunals would start working from Thursday. Later, when Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal was asked if the tribunals would start working from Thursday, he said, "How? Basic infrastructure like tables, chairs, etc is required. Will the judges work sitting on the ground? I can't say when the tribunals will start functioning."