New Delhi, Jan 6 (.) A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised serious concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court alleging large-scale arbitrariness and grave procedural violations in the exercise.
The petition has been filed through TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien and challenges the ongoing SIR process being undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in West Bengal.
The plea claims that nearly 58 lakh voters have been illegally omitted from the draft electoral rolls, allegedly without following due process of law.
According to the petition, there have been massive deletions of names without issuing prior notices or granting personal hearings to the affected voters, thereby violating statutory safeguards and principles of natural justice. It further alleges that the revision exercise has been carried out in a mechanical and opaque manner.
The TMC has also accused the Election Commission of issuing crucial instructions to field-level officers informally through WhatsApp messages or oral directions, without issuing proper written notifications, circulars, or statutory orders, rendering the entire process legally vulnerable.
Seeking urgent relief, the party has urged the Supreme Court to stay the publication of the final electoral rolls scheduled for February 14, contending that proceeding further would cause irreparable harm to the democratic rights of lakhs of voters.
The matter is likely to be mentioned before the Chief Justice of India-led Bench at around 2 pm, where a connected issue relating to the SIR process is already listed for hearing.
. SNG SAS KK