Today, On 4th February, The Supreme Court issued notice in the West Bengal SIR row and told the Election Commission to send name discrepancy notices carefully. The Court also assured that voters’ rights would remain fully protected while hearing Mamata Banerjee’s plea.
The Supreme Court addressed a highly emotional challenge regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally took the stand, alleging widespread wrongful deletions of voters in the lead-up to elections.
The Bench, led by the Chief Justice, reviewed multiple petitions, including one from the West Bengal government, which raised alarms about discrepancies, time limitations, and the conduct of the SIR process.
The Bench, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to exercise caution when issuing notices to voters due to name discrepancies. They remarked,
“Please send notices carefully. You cannot put out notable authors etc.”
The Court noted that the procedure follows a strict timeline, previously extended by ten days, leaving only four days remaining.
Emphasizing that “every problem has a solution so that no innocent citizen is left out.”, the Chief Justice stated,
“We cannot grant the luxury of one more week,”
Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, representing the petitioners, raised what he described as serious procedural challenges.
He presented data showing that 32 lakh voters were categorized as unmapped, and 1.36 crore entries almost 20% of the electorate were flagged for logical discrepancies, with about 63 lakh hearings still pending.
He also questioned the appointment of 8,300 micro observers, arguing that they lack proper legal authority and are dismissing valid documents like Aadhaar, domicile, and caste certificates.
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In response to communication concerns, the Chief Justice remarked that the list was not the only method and that individual notices were also being issued.
Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the Election Commission of India (ECI), explained that all notices included reasons and that voters could act through authorized representatives.
He justified the use of micro observers, stating that the State government had failed to supply adequate Group B/Class II officers despite repeated requests, leaving the Commission with no alternative.
The hearing also featured discussions about name discrepancies caused by linguistic and transliteration issues, which the Bench noted occur nationwide due to local dialects.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal reminded the Court of previous assurances that minor discrepancies would not be challenged.
Addressing the Court directly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that the SIR process was primarily aimed at removing names, which disproportionately affects women, migrants, and the economically disadvantaged. She questioned the decision to carry out this exercise after 24 years, during the harvesting season, and asserted that people were being incorrectly declared deceased.
She further claimed that Bengal was being unfairly targeted, insisting,
“Please protect the people’s rights. We are grateful.”
Seeking a practical solution, the Chief Justice instructed the State to submit a list of Group B officers available to assist with the process by Monday.
The Bench ordered a notice to be issued in both petitions and named a connected matter, in which the ECI has already filed an affidavit, to be included in discussions on Monday.
The Court assured that all issues would be addressed together during the next session, concluding the hearing with a commitment to urgent and thorough consideration.
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