Supreme Court Hears Mamata Banerjee's Challenge to Bengal Voter List Revision Today
SC hears Mamata's plea today against Bengal voter list revision.
The Supreme Court on Monday is set to hear a crucial petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, which is heading toward Assembly elections later this year. The plea questions the legality and intent of the voter revision exercise being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to the cause list, the matter will be taken up by a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria. The court will also hear similar petitions filed by Trinamool Congress MPs Dola Sen and Derek O’Brien, who have echoed concerns over large-scale voter deletions.
In her petition, Banerjee has accused the ECI of political bias and alleged that the SIR process could lead to the exclusion of lakhs of genuine voters, particularly from marginalised communities. She has sought interim relief to restrain the poll body from deleting any names during the exercise, especially those flagged under the “logical discrepancy” category.
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During an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court observed that spelling variations due to regional dialects are a nationwide issue and cannot be grounds to disenfranchise bona fide voters. Banerjee further argued that women who change surnames after marriage and individuals who relocate residences are being disproportionately affected by the revision process.
The Chief Minister has also alleged selective targeting of West Bengal, claiming that similar exercises are not being carried out in other states such as Assam. The CJI-led Bench assured that the court would seek a “practical solution,” emphasizing that no genuine voter’s right can be taken away.
Meanwhile, ahead of the hearing, the West Bengal government informed the ECI that it can deploy 8,505 Group-B officers for the remainder of the SIR process and stressed the need for Bengali-speaking officials to prevent language-related errors. The ECI, however, has clarified that only residence certificates issued by designated senior officers under a 1999 legal framework will be accepted—an assertion strongly opposed by the ruling Trinamool Congress, which claims the move is aimed at facilitating voter deletions.
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