New Delhi, Feb 4 — West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday personally addressed the Supreme Court, alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state was being used to delete voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Appearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Banerjee said the exercise was targeting Bengal alone and causing large-scale disenfranchisement. “The SIR process is not for inclusion but for deletion,” she told the court.
Scores of lawyers, litigants and mediapersons gathered in the CJI’s courtroom to witness the rare spectacle of a sitting chief minister making submissions in person. Banerjee, dressed in a white saree with a black scarf, entered the court complex around 10 am accompanied by senior advocates including Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan first argued the case, after which Banerjee sought the bench’s permission to speak.
She alleged that women who changed surnames after marriage were being removed from voter lists over minor mismatches. “Living people are declared dead. They are troubling people with notices during festival and harvest season,” she said, claiming that over 100 people, including booth-level officers, had died due to stress linked to the exercise.
Banerjee further claimed political targeting. “Only Bengal is targeted on the eve of elections. Why after 24 years this hurry to finish in two months what takes two years? Why not Assam? Why not the North East?” she asked.
She also accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of bypassing formal procedures. “They are issuing instructions through WhatsApp — it has become a ‘WhatsApp Commission’,” Banerjee said, alleging that 8,000 “micro-observers” linked to the BJP were appointed to delete names.
Responding, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, said micro-observers were appointed under the Representation of the People Act due to the state government’s failure to provide sufficient officers despite repeated requests. Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu supported this claim, citing “non-cooperation” by the state.
CJI Surya Kant noted that the court had already passed directions on January 19 for transparent verification after issues were raised by senior advocate Kapil Sibal. On Aadhaar, which Banerjee said was being rejected in Bengal but accepted elsewhere, the CJI remarked that the document had “its own limitations” and said he could not comment further as judgment on SIR’s legality was reserved.
The bench issued notice to the ECI on Banerjee’s plea and sought a response by next Monday. It also indicated that micro-observers could be withdrawn if the state provides eligible officers. “Tell your officers to be sensitive and not issue notices over mere spelling mismatches,” the CJI told ECI’s counsel.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court there was an “atmosphere of hostility” against ECI officials in West Bengal and sought listing of a PIL seeking protection for them. The bench agreed to hear it along with Banerjee’s case.
Divan urged the court to immediately halt deletions and conduct the 2026 elections on the basis of the 2025 voter list, saying over 1.36 crore people flagged under the ‘logical discrepancy’ category were yet to be heard and the final list was due in just 11 days.
The matter has been adjourned to February 9.