Intro: The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to respond to Mamata Banerjee’s petition on voter rolls

New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding a petition filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She has challenged the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, claiming it is causing large-scale disenfranchisement ahead of upcoming elections. The top court has scheduled the next hearing for Monday.

Banerjee’s plea requests urgent interim orders to prevent deletion of voter names, especially those listed under “logical discrepancy.” Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing her, said the SIR process is being rushed with only 11 days before final publication and just four days to address objections. He pointed out that about 32 lakh voters remain unmapped and over 1.36 crore have been flagged for discrepancies. Around 70 lakh notices have been issued for minor spelling differences, often caused by transliteration from Bengali to English. Documents such as domicile, Aadhaar, and OBC certificates are reportedly not being accepted, leaving voters waiting in long queues.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, observed that minor spelling variations are common nationwide and cannot justify excluding voters. Banerjee highlighted that women who change surnames after marriage and citizens who have moved residences are particularly affected. She also raised concerns about over 100 Booth Level Officers falling ill or dying due to stress.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the ECI, explained that micro-observers were appointed as West Bengal did not provide enough officers. The court suggested reviewing minor spelling mismatches and ensuring genuine voters are not disenfranchised. The ECI must file its response by Monday, and the court assured a practical solution will be found while the broader SIR challenge continues.