Online: No info. Offline: No info. Tribunal vigil by citizens and lawyers draws a blank
Times of India | 22 April 2026
Kolkata: Many ‘deleted' voters from different places across the city and suburbs turned up at the tribunal appellate authority's office in Joka on Tuesday — two days before the first phase of assembly election and eight days before the second phase — to enquire about their voting right, but they returned disappointed as their knock on the tribunal doors remained unheard.
Aware of the scheduled release of the first supplementary revised electoral roll on Tuesday, many thronged the tribunal's office to know when it would be visible or how to access it. But cops and guards could not tell anything to them about the list, citing that no official instruction came to them regarding the list publication.
On Tuesday, several advocates who drafted the prayers of ‘deleted' voters came to Joka to follow up on the progress of their clients' appeals. But they, too, were not allowed to enter and had to return without any clear idea on the issue.
Abir Mondal, an advocate from Calcutta High Court, rued, "I have drafted petitions for about 300 clients and most of them are from Malda where the election will be held on Thursday. These people have been calling us to know if they can vote. I came to the tribunal's office but I did not get any cooperation."
Narayan Das, assistant of a lawyer in a Kakdwip court, brought two clients, Abul Hossain Naskar and Firdous Naskar, to the tribunal to know about the progress of the appeals. "The guards did not let us in. Everyone is saying that they have no knwoledge about the matter. So, the question is who knows and how the applicants will get their queries answered," asked Das.
Firdous rued that he made the appeal with the help of his lawyer on April 6 and has since been waiting for the progress status. "I contacted the local administration's office but did not get any clarity. Even my BLO has stopped taking my call."
Safikul Rahman Molla, who came to the tribunal's office from Satgachhia, said, "Names of my father and elder sister have been deleted. On March 30, we made appeals online and six days later submitted hard copies in the SDO office. Till now, there is no clarification."