The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court that its officials faced threats, violence and zero police cooperation during the SIR process in West Bengal. The ECI cited statements like “Will break ECI’s legs” and alleged intimidation by the Mamata Banerjee government, warning of a hostile environment for election officials.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has informed the Supreme Court of India that it is facing serious resistance, threats, and non-cooperation from the local police and political leadership in West Bengal during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the ECI stated that despite public assurances of cooperation, there has been “zero cooperation” from the West Bengal police. The Commission said that several cases of violence, intimidation, and obstruction have been reported against election officials who are carrying out statutory duties as part of the SIR process.
The affidavit specifically points to repeated public statements made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, which the ECI claims have created fear and pressure among election officials working on voter list preparation and revision.
According to the Commission, these speeches were provocative in nature and directly affected the atmosphere in which officials were expected to perform their duties.
The affidavit states that
“In continuation of the aforementioned conduct, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, on 14.01.2026 conducted a Press Conference in which she is reported to have engaged in fear-mongering, disseminated misleading and erroneous information regarding the SIR process, overtly threatened and targeted election officials, and sought to incite alarm amongst the electorate. It is also reported that the Hon’ble Chief Minister, during her reported speech, explicitly identified and targeted a Micro Observer, Shri Hari Das, thereby publicly isolating an election official performing statutory duties and subjecting him to unwarranted pressure and intimidation,”.
The ECI further informed the Supreme Court that several incidents of direct interference occurred during the Notice Phase of the SIR process. Reports submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer, the Special Electoral Observer, and the Electoral Roll Observer were relied upon to highlight the seriousness of the situation on the ground.
According to these reports, when the Electoral Roll Observer visited SIR hearing camps at Magrahat-I, Magrahat-II, and Kulpi Block under the Diamond Harbour Sub-Division of South 24 Parganas district, a mob allegedly attacked the venue.
The crowd reportedly raised slogans, blocked officials from carrying out their duties, and damaged the vehicle of the Electoral Roll Observer.
The Supreme Court was also informed about highly threatening statements allegedly made by sitting political representatives in the State.
The affidavit mentions that one Minister of the West Bengal government stated that he will ” break the legs of Election Commission”, while another MLA warned that deletion of names during the SIR would amount to “playing with fire”.
ALSO READ: BREAKING: CM Mamata Banerjee Arrives At Supreme Court for West Bengal SIR Case Hearing
Highlighting the gravity of the threat perception, the ECI stated,
“It is further submitted that the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal stands as the sole electoral official in the entire nation who has been accorded ‘Y+’ category security in light of the threat assessment conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India”,.
To ensure transparency and protect voter rights during the SIR exercise, the Election Commission appointed senior IAS officers from central government departments and neighbouring states, including Delhi, as roll observers in West Bengal.
Their role is to make sure that no eligible voter is wrongly excluded from the electoral rolls. By January 20, the number of roll observers deployed in the State had increased to 37.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, informed the Supreme Court that the Commission had no choice but to appoint micro observers after the State government failed to provide a sufficient number of Class II officers. This submission was made in response to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that micro observers were being given powers to delete voters’ names.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is currently hearing a batch of petitions challenging the SIR process in West Bengal. The Chief Minister also appeared personally before the Court and strongly opposed the exercise.
During the hearing, Banerjee argued that the SIR was not meant to add voters but was effectively being used as a deletion drive.
She stated that people often change residences due to marriage or employment, and women commonly change their names after marriage, which can lead to mismatches in documents. She accused the Election Commission of selectively targeting opposition-ruled States, including West Bengal, just before elections.
Banerjee further claimed that a process that normally takes two years was being rushed and completed within three months. She alleged that over 100 booth-level officers had died during the exercise.
She also raised concerns that certain documents, such as domicile certificates, were not being accepted and that micro observers were deleting names without providing affected voters any opportunity to be heard.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal is being conducted ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The exercise includes house-to-house verification, publication of draft rolls, and hearings to address “unmapped” entries and “logical discrepancies”.
These discrepancies include mismatches in age, names, or family relationships when compared with earlier electoral rolls.
ALSO READ: West Bengal Is Targeted: TMC’s Mamata Banerjee Tells Supreme Court Over SIR Controversy
A large number of voters have received notices under the SIR process, which has led to widespread political controversy. Petitioners and opposition parties have alleged that the exercise lacks sufficient safeguards and may lead to wrongful voter deletion and disenfranchisement.
While the Election Commission has maintained that the SIR is aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral rolls by including eligible voters and removing ineligible ones, critics argue that the process is arbitrary and poses serious risks to voting rights in the State.
Case Title:
Mostari Bapu vs Election Commission of India and Anr with connected matters
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Mamata Banerjee ECI
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
