The bench clarified that where a judicial officer rejects a claim for inclusion in the electoral rolls, the aggrieved individual may approach this appellate tribunal. “We leave it to Chief Justice (of Calcutta HC) to decide how many judges shall be there in the appellate bench,” said CJI Kant. The bench directed that the ECI will bear the expenses for the functioning of the appellate body and judicial officers involved in the exercise. It also directed the ECI to publish a notification regarding the constitution of such an appellate body.
In a related development, the SC took strong exception to certain applications filed flagging pendency of claims before judicial officers. Speaking for the bench, CJI Kant said that he would not tolerate attempts to question the integrity of judicial officers. Lambasting the applicants who filed the said application, CJI Kant said that the application is premature. “How did you dare such applications are filed? No one should dare question the judicial officers. As a Chief Justice of India, I will not tolerate this,” CJI Kant told the applicants.
On such application sought directions to the Election Commission of India to withdraw the additional cases given to judicial officers for verification. “Now the game begins. We knew you people will run away when judicial officers are appointed,” CJI Kant orally remarked.
Expressing unhappiness with both the petitioners and the ECI, CJI said, “A stage has come where we are doubting the bona fides of both sides.”
