4 days after Bangladesh’s rolling freeze, court begins hearing today

KOLKATA: A 19-seat appeal tribunal will begin hearing appeals on the inclusion or exclusion of voters at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation in Kolkata on Monday, four days after the electoral roll for the second phase of Bengal Assembly polls was frozen on Thursday. The arbitral tribunal was constituted and notified by the EC on March 20. Supreme Court order, only four appeals explicitly mentioned by the SC have been disposed of so far. Out of 6 million active cases, more than 2.7 million names have been excluded from the supplementary list. Affected people can seek relief from the courts. A group of retired judges along with Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala and Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Sujoy Paul visited the institute on Sunday to review the arrangements. Sources said 119 computers have been installed and about 200 micro-observers will monitor the entire process. An official said each court will be supported by four to five staff members, who were trained on document review and procedural requirements on Friday. Many people gathered on the Chengxia College campus to express their dissatisfaction.