Journalism of Courage
Supreme Court’s AI advice for poll panel in Trinamool vs Trinamool case
The Election Commission of India sought six months to resolve the matter, but the bench said three months is “enough”.
Supreme Court is hearing Mamata Banerjee's challenge to the freeze of Trinamool name and symbol. File
The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that the Election Commission use Artificial Intelligence and machine-learning tools to swiftly resolve the dispute between Trinamool Congress factions over the party’s name and symbol.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, is hearing former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s challenge to the Election Commission’s interim order freezing the Trinamool Congress’s name and its flowers & grass symbol till a decision on the factional feud is taken.
The Election Commission sought six months to resolve the matter, but the bench said three months is “enough”. At one point, Justice Bagchi said, “Use AI and machine-learning devices… it will expedite the case… reading documents, etc..”
Senior Advocate DS Naidu, appearing for the poll panel, said, “To some extent, they may help, though not to the fullest extent. I will tell you the practical problem we have faced. Rival parties, party cadres, members and everybody vouch for whichever group they support and then file affidavits. They come in lakhs. Whatever time the court fixes, let it run from the date the process of filing affidavits is completed.”
Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
Appearing for the Trinamool faction led by Mamata Banerjee, party leader and Senior Advocate Kalyan Banerjee said their camp has responded to the poll panel’s notice, but the rival faction is yet to do so.
The bench then said, “We grant four weeks to the contesting respondents and the petitioner to place on record additional documents, affidavits and counter-affidavits, etc. Let pleadings be completed in all respects within four weeks. The Election Commission of India shall take three months thereafter to decide the symbol issue.”
The poll panel’s counsel said it would need at least six months to decide the issue. Justice Bagchi, however, said, “Three months is good enough”. When the poll body’s counsel replied that it will be “very difficult”, the bench said, “If some extreme exigency arises, come before us”.The Trinamool Congress, which lost power in Bengal after the Assembly poll drubbing this year, is now caught in a factional feud in the Assembly and the Parliament. While the rebel MPs have joined the Nationalist Citizen Party of India and aligned themselves with the NDA, the rebel faction in the Assembly is led by Arup Roy and now calls itself the Democratic Trinamool Congress. The Banerjee-led faction is called the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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