Supreme Court to Hear Mamata Banerjee's Plea Against Electoral Roll Revision on Wednesday
The Supreme Court of India is set to hear a crucial plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. This hearing marks a significant development in the ongoing electoral process in West Bengal, with potential implications for voter registration and democratic participation.
Details of the Hearing and Potential Attendance
According to the apex court's official website, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions related to the SIR. These petitions include those filed by Mamata Banerjee, Mostari Banu, and Trinamool Congress MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen.
Sources indicate that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who holds an LLB degree, may personally attend the court proceedings on Wednesday to present her submissions. Her potential presence underscores the importance of this case, as she has been a vocal critic of the SIR process, alleging it could lead to mass disenfranchisement and undermine democratic foundations.
Background and Previous Court Directives
The Supreme Court had previously issued several directions on January 19, emphasizing the need for transparency and minimal inconvenience in the SIR process in West Bengal. The court directed the Election Commission (EC) to display the names of voters on the logical discrepancies list at gram panchayat bhavans and block offices. These locations will also serve as centers for submitting documents and objections.
Logical discrepancies refer to issues such as mismatches in parent names or age differences between voters and their parents being less than 15 years or more than 50 years, based on progeny linking with the 2002 voter list. The court noted that approximately 1.25 crore voters in West Bengal are on this list and instructed the state government to provide adequate manpower to election authorities to handle the process efficiently.
Banerjee's Petitions and Allegations
Mamata Banerjee filed her petition on January 28, naming the Election Commission and the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer as parties in the case. Prior to this, she had written a strongly worded letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on January 3, urging a halt to what she described as an arbitrary and flawed SIR process.
In her letter, Banerjee accused the EC of presiding over an unplanned, ill-prepared, and ad hoc process marked by serious irregularities, procedural violations, and administrative lapses. She warned that continuing the SIR in its current form could trigger mass disenfranchisement and strike at the very foundations of democracy in the poll-bound state.
Other Petitions and Concerns
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien had earlier filed an application highlighting arbitrariness and procedural irregularities in the SIR. The application claimed that the EC has been issuing instructions through informal channels like WhatsApp messages and oral directions during video conferences, rather than formal written orders.
It argued that the EC cannot act arbitrarily or substitute legally prescribed procedures with ad hoc mechanisms. The application also noted that the poll panel created a new category of logical discrepancies without any written order, potentially affecting 1.36 crore electors. It seeks a direction for the EC to publish the final electoral roll only after disposing of all claims, objections, and hearings.
This hearing on Wednesday is expected to be a pivotal moment in addressing these concerns and ensuring a fair and transparent electoral process in West Bengal.
