West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee achieved a major victory in the Supreme Court in the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) case on Wednesday, February 4. The apex court issued a notice to the Election Commission instructing them to be “sensitive”.
On Wednesday, the case was heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi. Mamata Banerjee, appearing as a ‘party in person’, highlighted the harassment faced by the people of Bengal. During the hearing, the Supreme Court not only issued a notice to the Election Commission but also instructed its officials to be more empathetic. The Supreme Court also questioned the necessity of micro-observers in the SIR process.
The court stated that the Election Commission needs to be more careful when serving hearing notices to voters. Addressing the commission, the Chief Justice remarked, “Tell your officers to be a little more sensitive!” Furthermore, the apex court also stated that no document will be considered valid without the signature of the booth-level officer (BLO).
After CM Mamata Banerjee highlighted several problems in West Bengal regarding the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Election Commission. It stated that the Commission must ensure that no one’s name is removed from the voter list due to minor spelling mistakes. The apex court also instructed that Commission officials must be more sensitive when issuing hearing notices to voters.
The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls (SIR in West Bengal) process began on November 26 in 12 states and Union Territories across the country, including West Bengal. The last date for hearings in West Bengal is February 7. The final voter list is scheduled to be published on February 14. In other words, the deadline is almost here. At this stage, CM Mamata herself filed a case regarding the SIR in the Supreme Court. The case is scheduled for further hearing in the Supreme Court next Monday.
West Bengal’s argument in Supreme Court
Initially, lawyer Shyam Diwan argued on behalf of the Chief Minister in the Supreme Court. He informed the court that only 11 days remained before the final voter list was published, and only 4 days were left for the hearings to conclude. He stated that 32 lakh voters had been identified as ‘unmapped’.
Lawyer Diwan had further said, “Hearings for 63 lakh people are still pending. In this situation, to complete the hearings within the stipulated time, 15.5 lakh hearings would have to be conducted every day,” which he claimed was impossible. He also complained to the court about the appointment of micro-observers.
The lawyer had alleged that 8,300 micro-observers have been appointed from BJP-ruled states. They have been given the power to remove names from the voter list, and the powers of the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have been curtailed. In response to this allegation, the commission’s lawyer stated that the state government had not provided enough Group-B officers for SIR work. Therefore, they were compelled to appoint micro-observers from other states. The apex court ordered the state government to inform them by Monday how many Group-B officers fluent in Bengali they can provide.
SIR in Bengal solely for the purpose of deleting names from voter list: Mamata Banerjee
In this context, the Chief Minister requested time from the Chief Justice to explain the state’s situation. She said, “I am not getting justice anywhere. Please let me speak. People are suffering. I have come from West Bengal; I can explain the entire situation.”
Mamata Banerjee also alleged in court that the SIR process in Bengal was solely for the purpose of deleting names from the voter list. She highlighted how names were being removed even for minor reasons like changes in surname or address.
The Chief Minister said, “What takes two years to complete is being done in two months, causing immense hardship to the people.” In this context, Mamata Banerjee appealed to the Supreme Court to protect the rights of the people.
After a lengthy hearing, the court issued a notice to the Election Commission. The Commission has been directed to inform the court about the steps it is taking regarding the SIR process in Bengal. The Supreme Court also directed the state government to inform how many officers it can provide for the SIR process.