Mamata flags SIR as targeted exercise, to appear again in Supreme Court on Monday
While presenting her arguments before the Supreme Court, Mamata Banerjee claimed that over 150 people had died due to the pressure of the exercise, including a Booth Level Officer who reportedly died due to severe stress due to directives from the Chief Electoral Officer.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday mounted a rare, direct challenge before the Supreme Court, alleging that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state was deliberately designed to target West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections.
As the political and legal confrontation escalates, Trinamool Congress sources said Banerjee is likely to appear in person before the apex court again on Monday.
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Banerjee’s writ petition challenging the SIR process and listed the matter for further hearing on Monday.
‘WHY ONLY BENGAL?’
Arguing before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, Banerjee questioned why West Bengal was being singled out for the intensive revision.
“Why Bengal? Why not Assam or other northeastern states? The Election Commission is only targeting Bengal to bulldoze people of the state,” she told the court, urging judicial intervention to protect citizens’ democratic rights.
The Trinamool Congress supremo, who arrived in the national capital three days ago to escalate her standoff with the ECI, said she had written six letters to the Commission without receiving any response. “We are not getting justice anywhere,” she told the bench.
LARGE-SCALE DELETIONS, ROLE OF MICRO-OBSERVERS QUESTIONED
Banerjee alleged that the SIR, as implemented, was focused primarily on deletions rather than inclusion. She claimed that nearly 58 lakh names had already been deleted in the first phase of the exercise, while around 1.3 crore voters were under scrutiny in the second phase.
According to her, many deletions were carried out without giving voters an opportunity to appeal under Form 6. She further alleged that micro-observers, reportedly from BJP-ruled states, were deleting names despite not being the final statutory authority.
“Micro-observers are deleting all the names. They are not the official authority, still they are deleting names,” Banerjee said, adding that local electoral staff had been sidelined in the process.
LOGICAL DISCREPANCIES, DOCUMENT REJECTION FLAGGED
Highlighting what she described as systemic flaws, Banerjee said routine life changes were being treated as grounds for exclusion. Women changing surnames after marriage, daughters shifting to their in-laws’ homes, and migrant workers relocating for employment were allegedly being flagged under “logical discrepancies”, putting their voter status at risk.
She also raised objections over documentation norms, alleging that valid documents, including domicile certificates and other government-issued proofs, were being rejected. Referring to earlier court-sanctioned use of Aadhaar for voter verification, Banerjee claimed that the EC was no longer accepting Aadhaar on its own and was instead demanding multiple documents.
“Now the EC is violating the court order,” she alleged.
BULLDOZING EXERCISE, SAYS MAMATA; SC SEEKS EC REPLY
Criticising the timing of the exercise, Banerjee questioned the urgency behind completing the revision in a few months. “After 24 years, what was the hurry to complete it in three to four months? A process that takes two years is being rushed,” she said, noting that notices were issued during harvest and Puja seasons when many people were away from home.
She also claimed that over 150 people had died due to the pressure of the exercise, including a Booth Level Officer who reportedly died from severe stress linked to official directives.
Concluding her submissions, Banerjee appealed to the court to “save democracy”, asserting that she was not fighting a political battle but seeking constitutional protection for voters.
As she wrapped up her arguments, Banerjee again sharply criticised the Election Commission, calling it the “WhatsApp Commission.”
“The Election Commission, sorry, the WhatsApp Commission is doing all this. People’s names are being deleted. Bengal is being targeted,” she added.
Adjourning the matter, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Election Commission in response to Banerjee’s plea and directed it to file its reply by February 10.