The Supreme Court hearing petitions challenging the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several States, with West Bengal at the centre of the dispute. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has moved the Court under Article 32, appeared in person and sought permission to address the Bench, signalling a high-stakes legal and political confrontation ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Banerjee, a trained advocate, has consistently opposed the SIR exercise in West Bengal, arguing that the revision process risks excluding legitimate voters. Her plea urges the Court to direct that the next Assembly elections be conducted on the basis of the 2025 electoral rolls and to immediately restrain further deletions during the ongoing revision.
By choosing to personally engage with the proceedings, the Chief Minister has intensified her standoff with the Election Commission, framing the dispute as one that directly impacts electoral fairness and voter confidence in an election bound State.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi is examining the balance between the Election Commission’s constitutional authority to revise voter lists and concerns over possible disenfranchisement. The Court is considering Banerjee’s request for urgent interim protection, including a pause on voter deletions, as it hears arguments on whether the scope and timing of the SIR exercise warrant judicial intervention at this stage.
Picture Source :
