Mamata Banerjee In Supreme Court 2.0 Today Over SIR: What To Expect

The Supreme Court is all set to hear on Monday the Election Commission's reply to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal.

Last week, in a historic showdown, Chief Minister Banerjee appeared in the Supreme Court and voiced her grievances against the Election Commission in a rather high-pitched, emotive speech, urging the top court with folded hands to "save democracy".

Making sweeping allegations against the poll body, Banerjee thundered in the top court over 1.36 crore voters on the logical discrepancy list, who she claimed risked deletion on the basis of systematic errors like "misspellings in surnames" or change in addresses of daughters after marriage. She also raised the issue of deployment of 8,300 micro-observers appointed by the ECI in the state, whom she called the central government's officers and claimed they were deleting voter names unconstitutionally without any authority.

The West Bengal Chief Minister appealed to the top court that the next Assembly elections in West Bengal should be based on exiting 2025 voter list and not the new one being prepared after SIR, as lakhs of legitimate voters risk exclusion from the same.

Claiming that only the state of West Bengal is being targeted, she said the poll body should put up the names of 1.4 crore disputed voter names online in a searchable format. She further appealed to the top court that the Election Commission should be asked to accept Aadhaar Card as enough proof of identity in discrepancy cases. She has also alleged that there is a "secret mass deletions" of voters via bulk Form-7 applications and has sought a stay on the same.

Issuing a notice on her plea, the top court had sought a reply from the EC, which it will go through today. At the same time, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant had requested her to allow her lawyer, Shyam Diwan, to argue on her behalf.

The Mamata Banerjee government might have to face some tough questions today in the top court as it is all set to hear another PIL by Sanatani Sagsad seeking protection to EC officials who claim they are being "made to fear for their lives whilst discharging their democratic obligation."

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had requested the top court to hear that petition on Monday, along with Mamata Banerjee's plea, as the Central government is also a party to it.

He also mentioned the past affidavits filed by the Election Commission through which it had informed the Supreme Court that its officials conducting the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal are facing serious threats to their safety, forcing some to withdraw from duty after violent incidents at hearing venues.

In one of its affidavits, the EC has also named Mamata Banerjee for making "provocative speeches" against its officers.

In the most recent January 28 affidavit, the Election Commission had urged the court to allow hearings to be shifted to safer locations instead of Panchayat Bhawans, citing multiple incidents of vandalism and physical attacks on election officials across the state.

They apprised the court about violent attacks at SIR hearing venues at Itahar, Farakka and Chakukia in West Bengal.

While the top court is set to hear the poll body's rebuttal to Mamata Banerjee's claims over mass disenfranchisement in the state of West Bengal from SIR today, it will also be hearing these claims by the Election Commission, which might lead to some tough questions for the Mamata government.

At the same time, the Election Commission will also have to satisfy the court that 1.4 crore citizens who face deletion will not be unfairly excluded from the SIR voter list.