News Desk: Dressed in a white saree with a black shawl draped around her neck, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday presented strong and forceful arguments before the Supreme Court (Mamata Banerjee SIR Supreme Court). In effect, the proceedings related to the case resulted in a favourable outcome for Mamata Banerjee.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard matters related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The hearing took place before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Jaymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi. Notably, three cases related to the SIR in West Bengal were heard on the same day. Hearings on petitions filed by Trinamool Congress MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen were held in Court No. 1 of the Chief Justice’s bench. In addition, another petition filed by Mamata Banerjee on the same issue, along with a related case by poet Joy Goswami, was also heard by the Chief Justice’s bench in Court No. 1.
In the case filed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her counsel Shyam Divan presented arguments. During the hearing, Mamata Banerjee folded her hands and sought five minutes to present her arguments personally. The judges granted her permission. She then forcefully highlighted how ordinary citizens are being harassed during the SIR process. The Chief Minister said,
“Honourable Judges, I wish to speak on behalf of the common people of West Bengal. I have received no justice. Please allow me to speak. People are suffering immensely. I have come from West Bengal and want to describe the entire situation. Lawyers always fight cases, but even after everything is over, when justice is not delivered, I wish to quote Rabindranath Tagore — ‘Justice weeps behind closed doors.’”
The court noted that the Chief Minister was presenting her arguments as a common citizen.
Alleging that the SIR process is being used to delete names from the voter list, Mamata Banerjee said, “A young woman’s name has been deleted simply because she got married and moved elsewhere. Those who have bought flats in other places and are residing there have also had their names removed. We want to ensure that no legitimate voter’s name is deleted. Our lawyers are fighting in court for this. I have written six letters to the Election Commission, but have not received a single reply. I am an ordinary person; perhaps I am not important. I don’t understand what is happening. I am crying out for justice.”
She also alleged that micro observers were appointed in violation of rules in West Bengal under the guise of the SIR process. “Only in West Bengal have micro observers been appointed. BJP members have been sent as micro observers. They have removed the names of legitimate voters. The Election Commission has now become a WhatsApp Commission. Instructions are being issued through WhatsApp,” she alleged.
Mamata Banerjee further told the Supreme Court that the SIR process in West Bengal is being carried out solely to remove names from the voter list. She said, “A process that usually takes two years is being attempted in just two months, causing immense harassment to ordinary people. In this situation, there is no option left but to approach the Supreme Court to protect the rights of the common people.”
The Chief Minister added, “West Bengal is being targeted because of the upcoming elections. Elections will be held in four states. Why this sudden hurry after 24 years? Why attempt to complete a process that requires two years within three months? This is festival season and agricultural work is ongoing. People are travelling to other places. Notices have been issued at such a time. More than 100 people have died. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have lost their lives. Many people are still admitted to hospitals. The Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for the suicides of BLOs. Please protect the people.” She also questioned why the SIR process was not conducted in Assam.
Responding to Mamata Banerjee’s allegations regarding the appointment of micro observers, Election Commission counsel Rakesh Dwivedi offered a clarification. He said, “We wrote several letters seeking officers of SDM rank, but did not get them. Only 80 Group C employees were provided. Therefore, we were compelled to appoint micro observers. The state did not cooperate. We had no other option. Observers were appointed in accordance with the law.”
Rejecting these claims, Mamata Banerjee countered, “SDMs have been appointed according to the capacity available to us.”
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee’s counsel Shyam Divan argued, “Only 11 days are left for the publication of the final voter list. Around 1.36 crore people have been included in the list of reasoned discrepancies. Hearings for 63 lakh people are still pending, with only four days available. As many as 8,300 micro observers have been appointed. About 70 lakh people have been included in the suspect list due to spelling errors in their names. In such circumstances, how will the SIR process be completed in West Bengal?”
He added, “To complete hearings within the stipulated time, nearly 15.5 lakh people would have to be heard every day, which is completely impossible.”
After hearing all allegations and arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court advised the Election Commission to be more sensitive. On the issue of appointing micro observers, the Chief Justice remarked, “If the state cooperates, there is no need for micro observers. We do not want any legitimate voter’s name to be deleted.”
Chief Justice Surya Kant further said, “No innocent citizen should be deprived. Madam Mamata, thank you. Through your petition, we have been able to understand the real problem. No one can be excluded merely because their name is written in the Bengali language. No one will be allowed to evade their responsibilities.”
Additionally, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to inform the court about the steps taken regarding the ongoing SIR process in West Bengal. The court also directed that details of how many officials the state government can deploy for the SIR process be placed before the Supreme Court.
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