The Supreme Court on Friday heard a petition seeking to ensure that people whose names have been removed from the voter list continue to receive benefits under government welfare schemes.
The petition argues that people whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls should not lose access to government schemes.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana issued notices to the Election Commission (EC) and the West Bengal government, asking them to file their responses. The next hearing is expected before 25 July.
The petitioner, Prasenjit Bose, argued that people should not lose access to ration, the Annapurna Scheme or other government welfare benefits simply because their names have been removed from the voter list. He said these benefits should continue until a final decision is made on their citizenship.
Petition seeks Supreme Court’s intervention
Counsel for the petitioner, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, told the court that around 3.4 million citizenship-related cases are still pending, while only about 38,000 cases have been decided so far.
He said only 19 tribunals are currently functioning. The petition also seeks greater transparency in the functioning of these tribunals by making all their orders and rules publicly available on their websites.
The petition states that many people are facing difficulties in accessing ration and other government welfare schemes after their names were removed from the voter list, even though no final decision has been taken on their citizenship.
It also argues that people who already possess valid government documents, such as a passport, should not be repeatedly asked to submit additional documents to prove their citizenship.
The petition further requests that no person’s ration or other government welfare benefits should be stopped until a final decision is made on their citizenship status.
Supreme Court: Deciding citizenship is not the EC’s role
During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the Supreme Court has already made it clear that the Election Commission’s role is limited to preparing electoral rolls and conducting elections.
He said deciding a person’s citizenship is not the Election Commission’s responsibility. If there is a dispute over citizenship, the matter should be referred to the appropriate government authority for a decision.
