The Supreme Court witnessed a heated atmosphere on Wednesday over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. What made the hearing special was that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was personally present in the courtroom and stood up to present her case like a lawyer.
After hearing her arguments, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Election Commission and made it clear that the next hearing in this sensitive matter will be held on Monday. The bench led by Chief Justice Suryakant heard Mamata Banerjee’s petition along with a similar plea filed by Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien.
Bengal is being targeted, says Mamata
During the hearing, Mamata Banerjee directly accused the SIR process of turning into a tool to remove names from the voter list. She said that when women change their surname after marriage or move to another city, they are being sent notices. She added that poor people who shift homes for work are also losing their voter registration.
Mamata questioned why the Election Commission is not accepting Aadhaar, even though the Supreme Court had earlier spoken about it. She further alleged that SIR is being conducted only in four opposition-ruled states and that West Bengal is being especially targeted.
Chief Justice responds
Reacting to Mamata’s arguments, the Chief Justice said the court does not want any innocent person’s name to be removed from the voter list. He said no living person should be shown as dead and migrants should also have the right to vote. He clearly stated that minor spelling mistakes in names cannot be a reason to delete voters. The court suggested that the state government form a team to work with the Election Commission to correct errors in voter records.
Next hearing on Monday
During the proceedings, the Election Commission said the state government did not provide enough officials, which is why micro observers had to be appointed. Mamata Banerjee strongly objected and said Bengal has limited districts and SDMs, yet the state gave as much support as possible. She alleged that micro observers from outside states are not listening to people and are refusing to accept documents. The next hearing on this matter will take place on Monday, which will decide the future course of action.