The Supreme Court directed the West Bengal government and Election Commission to provide logistical support to judicial officers conducting the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, noting they have handled over 10.16 lakh objections and claims regarding voter deletions.
Today, On 9th March, The Supreme Court agreed to consider a plea challenging the deletion of electors from the electoral rolls during West Bengal’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi took note of submissions by senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy.
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 Supreme Court heard petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, raising concerns about de novo preparation of voter lists and citizenship checks. Petitioners argued the process is arbitrary, excludes voters, and exceeds the Election Commission’s statutory powers.
The Supreme Court resumed hearing ADR’s challenge to Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, raising concerns over transparency, Aadhaar use, and voter deletions. Senior advocates warned that shifting the burden of proving citizenship to voters threatens the constitutional right to vote.
The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer to pass a reasoned order on a plea opposing the acceptance of invalid OBC certificates in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Court said the issue does not challenge the SIR process itself and must be decided within one week.
