The Supreme Court on Friday hailed the record 92 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of West Bengal assembly elections as a sign of a robust democratic process in the country. The observation came while the court was dealing with petitions challenging the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and the deployment of judicial officers for fair scrutiny.
Bench Remarks on Voter Turnout
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi made the remark after TMC MP and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, a vociferous opponent of the special intensive revision, said, 'One good thing happened. Record 92% voting happened because all migrant labourers rushed to the state to cast their vote in the fear that if they didn't, their names would be struck off the electoral roll.'
Justice Bagchi noted, 'Another good thing is that there was no violence during the polling, except sporadic incidents.' Chief Justice Kant added, 'As a citizen of India, I was very happy to see the high percentage of voting. People need to participate in voting.'
Appreciation for Security Forces
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also commended the security forces for their commendable job in curbing violence, which contributed to the high voter turnout. Justice Bagchi cited a Bengali adage to describe earlier violence during state elections: 'When kings fight, the poor men suffer and die.'
Chief Justice Kant emphasized, 'People must realise the power of their vote in a democracy. More than 92% went to vote. When a large number of people go to vote, there is no violence. That shows people realised that their strength lies in the democratic system.'
SG Mehta remarked, 'Ninety-two percent voter turnout is historic. Except for sporadic violence, the forces have done a commendable job. We must be thankful to them. There had been a history of both pre- and post-poll violence in the state.'
Fairness of Democratic Process
The Chief Justice added, 'It shows the fairness of democratic process. In Tamil Nadu also there is high voter turnout.' Justice Bagchi said, 'Voting in a democratic process is something which needs to be protected and honoured. Otherwise, the very essence of democracy will be lost.'
Exchange Between Counsels
Turning to senior advocate D S Naidu, who represented the Election Commission, Justice Bagchi said, 'For change, Naidu's client is applauded by everyone.' This unexpected compliment for the EC was unpalatable to Banerjee, who disagreed and said that for the last three days the EC had been lambasted by the Calcutta High Court. Naidu protested, stating that Banerjee was being unfair and wrong. 'It is Banerjee who is abusing EC in courts,' he said.
Mehta requested the bench to close the proceedings, cautioning that the debate would get reduced to a political discourse by Trinamool. The bench ended the session by asking both Naidu and Banerjee to have lunch together.
